Blessings and Trials
by Andress Jade
Summary: This story takes place in 1883. This is my version of events years later. Sully and Michaela's daughter Katie is now 12. Sully and Michaela have a late in life baby. Katie almost dies. How will everyone deal with it all? Please, please read and review!
1. Introduction

It is now 1883 and Katie is 12. Sully and Michaela have been happily married for 13 years. Andrew and Colleen are still married and living in Boston. They have their own practice together and it's very successful. Colleen had the same problems Michaela did, being accepted as a woman doctor but people finally accepted her. They have a 6 year old daughter named Isabella and are expecting another baby soon. Brian is now 24 and is working as an editor of the newspaper in Denver.

Matthew is still living at the old homestead but he has fixed it up and built on to it. He is married to a beautiful, successful woman named Sarah and they have 4 year old twin daughters named Aimie and Angela. Colorado Springs is growing and expanding, it's definitely not the same town it was when Michaela first came there. There is still Michaela's clinic, plus the clinic in Preston's hotel; which is sufficient enough. There are two doctors in town but one is only there part time. He is male and is Dr. Bernard's son. He also has a practice in another town close by. Preston was able to get his bank back as well as owning the hotel. Dorothy still has the Gazette but since she is getting on in years, her daughter Christina and her family came to town to help her run it. Loren still has his store, but can't get around as well, so Matthew's wife Sarah helps him out. Sometimes Katie helps clean up. Jake still has his barbershop and his wife Teresa is still the teacher. They have a son named Jake Jr. whom they call J.J. Myra and Horace got back together after some time apart and she is back to working at Preston's bank while helping Horace. When she's not in school, Samantha helps out her father too. Colorado Springs finally got around to getting a small telephone company so Horace runs that too. Horace and Myra have a young son they named Micah after Michaela. He was born not long after Myra came back. Hank still has his saloon.

The old church caught fire so the town had to rebuild. The reverend still does a fine job of running it, even though he is blind. He does have a colleague who comes to help him out from time to time. The schoolhouse is still there but had some major repairs done to it as well as expanding it. Robert E and Grace had a daughter they named Hope. She is best friends with Katie. Grace still has her cafe and Robert E is still the blacksmith. Katie helps her mother at the clinic but also spends time with her father outdoors at the reservation and so on. She looks like Michaela but has Sully's blue eyes.

She has a combination of her mother's stubbornness and her father's heroic streak. She loves being outdoors around nature. She loves animals, helping people and doing the right thing, just like her parents. She's got traits from both her parents. She is growing up to be a beautiful young lady. When people see her, they see a young Michaela. If you look at a picture of Michaela when she was young and look at Katie, you think you were looking at the same person. The only difference? Katie's beautiful blue eyes, her father's eyes. Everyone always talks about how beautiful Katie's eyes are. Katie sees that as one of the reasons why her mother fell in love with her father. Katie loves and admires her parents so much and loves how much they still love each other after all these years. That love gave them Katie. It is no surprise that Katie turned out the way she did.

Sully and Michaela are both beautiful people and so is their daughter. They did a good job on their first try, didn't they? It was unfortunate that they lost their second baby to miscarriage, but Katie has their lives with so much love and happiness that the loss of the baby all those years ago has faded away. Cloud Dancing is still a prominent part of their lives. He is no longer forbidden to leave the reservation and Sully is no longer forbidden to visit. Katie has grown up seeing Cloud Dancing as a father figure. Just as Michaela was given a nickname by the Cheyenne, so was Katie; "young Medicine Woman". She was given that name, because like her mother, she cares for people and is by her mother's side to help. Even at her young age, she knows so much about being a doctor and that is because she has been at her mother's side almost from the time she could walk. It will be no surprise if she ends up being a doctor like her mother. She can speak Cheyenne almost as well as her father. He's taught her so much about his life with the Cheyenne before he met her mother. He has even told her about his first wife Abagail and his daughter Hanna. Katie has told her father many times that she would have loved to have met Abagail and Hanna. He has told her that she would have loved them, but it wasn't meant to be because if they had lived, she wouldn't be here. Her mother was the one person who saved him and without her, he wouldn't be the person he is today. Her love saved him and gave them Katie. It's amazing the way things turn out.  
I will start my story now. I hope you enjoy it.


	2. Chapter 1

Katherine Elizabeth Sully yawns and stretches as the morning sun shines brightly through her bedroom window signaling to her that it's time to wake up.  
It doesn't matter though, because her mother will still come to her room to wake her. Her mother has been doing that for as long as Katie can remember. When she was a baby, she stayed in her parents room until she was two in a cradle that her father made her before she was born. When she finally got her own room and bed to sleep in, her mother began to come in and check on her constantly to make sure she was okay.  
Now that Katie is 12, her mother still comes in her room and wakes her every morning like clockwork. Katie loves it that her mother cares so much but sometimes it can get a little annoying. Katie doesn't dare tell her mother that because that would hurt her feelings and that's the last thing she wants to do.  
Sure enough there's a knock on the door.

(knock, knock)  
"Katie, it's time to get up! Half the morning is gone already!" Michaela tells her daughter as she opens the door and enters Katie's room.  
"I know Mama. I'm awake." Katie tells her mother as she sits up and rubs her eyes. Katie stifles a huge yawn while Michaela goes and gets the brush off Katie's dresser.  
Michaela goes over to Katie's bed, hairbrush in hand and begins brushing her daughter's long brown hair.  
Who would have known that Katie, a towheaded toddler would grow up with brown hair?  
Just like her mother. When Michaela was small, her hair was blond and as she grew it got darker. Katie is definitely her mother's daughter.  
Katie is proud that she looks like her mother. Her mother is a beautiful, strong, successful doctor and human being and that is what Katie hopes to be someday.  
Michaela continues to brush Katie's hair as she tells Katie of the good news .  
"Guess what, Katie?" Michaela asks her daughter with a huge grin on her face.  
"What, Mama? Katie asks curious.  
"Colleen, Andrew, and Brian are all coming to town."  
Katie gets a huge smile on her face as she turns around to face her mother.  
"They are?! Did they say why?"  
Katie turns back around as Michaela continues brushing her hair.  
"Colleen is due to have her baby in a few weeks and she wants me to deliver the baby. I delivered Isabella a few years ago when she and Andrew were still living here and Colleen doesn't want any other doctor but me to deliver her baby."  
"I think that is a good thing, Mama. I am so happy. Did Brian say why he was coming?"  
"He said he had a surprise for your father and I as well as hearing the news of Andrew and Colleen's visit."  
"I wonder what it could be?"  
"I don't have any idea, but I can't wait to find out. After all these years, I am going to have all my children together again."  
Katie smiles, happy to see her mother so happy. Even though Katie is Michaela's only biological child, she raised Matthew, Colleen and Brian. Matthew was 16, Colleen was 13 and Brian was 8 when she took them all in after their real mother died suddenly. It was the best thing she ever could have done. Katie loves having them as her family even if they are much older than her. They have always accepted Katie from the time she was born. Her parents tried for a long time to have a baby and when they found out they were going to have one, it was such good news. Katie was their miracle. Michaela has told Katie on numerous occasions how happy she was the moment she held her in her arms after she was born. Something happened to her that she couldn't explain when she looked down at that tiny face. Katie has never forgotten that.  
She has had a happy life growing up as well as being introduced to so much. She knows more than most girls her age just because her mother is a doctor and was raised in a proper home. Michaela wanted her daughter to have everything but also learn to grow up to be a strong, independent, person with a big heart.  
Michaela breaks Katie from her thoughts.  
"Katie?"  
"Yes?"  
"Are you ready to have some breakfast with me?"  
"Yes, but where is Papa? Isn't he going to join us?"  
"I'm afraid your father won't be back until this afternoon, sweetheart."  
"Why? Where did he go?"  
"He had to go take care of some business. He wouldn't tell me what or where."  
"Oh, well I better get dressed. I will meet you downstairs Mama."  
"Alright, I will see you downstairs in a little bit."  
Michaela gives her daughter a kiss on the cheek and then walks to the door and closes it behind her.

Katie puts on one of her prettiest dresses and pulls her hair up on the sides with a barrette that her father gave her for her birthday. After a quick glance in the full length mirror, she heads downstairs to join her mother for breakfast.  
Once downstairs she greets her mother who is standing at the stove putting the finishing touches on breakfast.  
"That smells good, Mama."  
Michaela turns towards the sound of her daughter's voice and begins to say something but is stopped midsentence.  
"Thank you, I hop-Katie Sully!"  
"What is it, Mama?"  
"You look so pretty. I just can't believe it."  
Katie's surprised look is replaced with a huge smile.  
"Thank you. I wanted to look pretty for Papa when he got here."  
"Your father is going to love the way you look when he walks through that door. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming. You are the light of my life Katherine Elizabeth. I love you so much and am so lucky to have had you."  
"I feel the same way. I'm glad you are my mama and that Papa is my papa. I couldn't have asked for better parents."  
"Oh, sweetheart." Michaela says as she begins to cry as she walks over to her daughter with her arms outstretched and wraps Katie in a fierce hug. Katie hugs her back with the same fierceness.  
Sully, who is just getting home, sees this display and can't help but smile.  
He doesn't dare interrupt them. He is definitely home and that's where the love and heart is. Always.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sully tries to be quiet as he puts his things down, but something falls out of his bag and hits the floor with a thud. That breaks Michaela and Katie out of their hug as they look at the source of the noise.  
Sully leans over to pick up what he dropped, a guilty look on his face.  
After Katie gets over her initial shock, she grins and runs over to her father.  
"Papa!"  
She nearly knocks him over from the force of running into his arms.  
"Oof!" Sully says as Katie runs into him.  
She wraps her arms around her father with a big smile on her face.  
"I guess you're happy to see me?"  
Katie nods against her father.  
"Yes. Mama said you wouldn't be home until this afternoon."  
"My plans changed." Sully tells his daughter as he hugs her back and rests his chin on her head.  
Michaela walks over to them.  
"Did you take care of what you needed to take care of?" she asks.  
"Yes. I got done sooner than planned. So now I can spend time with my two favorite girls."  
Michaela smiles at her husband.  
"Sully."  
"So I got a hug from Katie, how about a hug from you?"  
"You know you never have to ask me." Michaela teases.  
Katie takes that as her cue to back off and in doing so she accidentally kicks her father's bag. After kicking it, it starts moving and making sounds.  
"Papa, there is something in your bag and it's moving."  
Sully acting totally clueless, gives his daughter a confused look.  
"I don't know what you are talking about Katie."  
"Papa! There is something in your bag and it's alive!"  
Katie is getting scared now and starts backing away from the bag.  
"What are you doing, Katie?" Sully asks his daughter as he leans over and picks up the bag and opens it.  
"I am getting away from that bag, Papa."  
"Are you sure you wanna get away from this?" He asks his daughter as he pulls a female baby wolf cub out of the bag.  
Katie starts to nod and then sees what it is and screams with excitement.  
"Ahhh! A puppy! Thanks, Papa!"  
Katie runs over to her father and grabs the puppy out of his arms.  
"How did you know I wanted a wolf puppy!?" she asks as she cuddles and plays with the puppy.  
"How did I know? Well, maybe because you asked me for one and were disappointed when you didn't get one for your birthday."  
Michaela can't hold her laughter in any longer and burst out laughing.  
"What's so funny, Mama?"  
"I was in on it the whole time. Your father told me not to tell you anything, he wanted it to be a surprise."  
Katie grins at her mother and gives her a hug.  
"I was surprised, Mama."  
"I got some things for the puppy." Sully tells Katie as he starts digging things out of his bag.  
"What did you get?" Katie asks.  
"I got her a little bed, some toys, a food and water bowl, and some food. Would you like to help me set everything up for her?"  
"Sure, Papa. Let's go."  
Sully and Katie go to take care of the puppy's things, and as Michaela watches them go she starts to feel sick and grabs her stomach. She finds her way over to a chair and sits down and lays her head back on the chair. She was feeling this way yesterday morning too but it passed after a while. What could be wrong with her? She decides to go see Dr. Bernard tomorrow to find out. She's confident everything is alright. She's probably just tired and overworked. I mean, her daughter, son- in- law and son are coming for a visit and that's just got her excited. That has to be it. She's not going to worry anyone about it until she has seen Dr. Bernard. She decides to join her husband and daughter in helping the new addition feel welcome.

Stay tuned for Chapter 3...


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sully, Michaela and Katie finally sat down to breakfast after getting the puppy settled.  
Sully and Michaela are busy talking about grown up stuff, like bills and so on. Katie, who seems distracted just pushes the food around on her plate, not really eating anything.  
Looking away from Sully for a minute, Michaela notices.  
"Katie?"  
Katie doesn't answer her mother, just continues to look down at her plate and push her food around.  
"Katherine!" Sully says sternly to his daughter. He never calls her Katherine unless she's in trouble.  
Hearing the sternness in her father's voice, it's breaks Katie out of her reverie and she finally looks up.  
"Did you say something, papa?"  
"Yes, why didn't you answer your ma?"  
"What do you mean?" Katie asks confused. She is still a little distracted.  
Sully begins to get angry with his daughter.  
Michaela notices and steps in.  
"Katie, is my cooking really that bad?" Michaela asks her daughter.  
Katie gives her mother a small smile.  
"No, mama. It's not that. The food is fine. I am just thinking."  
Michaela places her hand on Katie's.  
"What are you thinking about?"  
"How nervous I am about seeing Colleen and Brian again. I haven't seen them in a couple years. I have been kind of lonely lately."  
"Why didn't you tell your father and I about this sooner?"  
"It really just hit me after I was getting the puppy settled in. I am glad I have Hope as a best friend. It made me think how much I miss having a sister around."  
"You have Colleen." Sully tells his daughter matter of factly.  
"Papa, Colleen is married and has Isabella and another baby on the way. I never see her. Besides, she went to college after I was born. She lives all the way in Boston. You and mama promised to take me there someday. I am 12 years old and still haven't gone to visit."  
"You know that I have been real busy at the clinic. It hasn't been a good time to go on a vacation."  
"When will it be a good time, mama? When Colleen and Brian were younger they got to go to Boston and Washington." Katie tells her mother, with the anger evident in her voice.  
"How did you know about that?" Michaela asks her daughter.  
"Brian told me a long time ago."  
Sully and Michaela look at each other with guilty looks on their faces.  
"You know when I told you earlier that they were coming to town?"  
Katie nods.  
"This will be your chance to see them."  
"I think that is why I have been missing them so much. They're coming, and I haven't seen them in so long. It's been two years, mama. I am so nervous."  
"It will be alright, Katie. Your father and I will make sure of that. I promise that when we get some free time, we will take you to Boston."  
Katie gets a big smile on her face and looks at her mother.  
"You will? You promise?"  
Michaela nods and smiles as she puts her hand on her daughter's shoulder.  
"I promise."  
"I will make sure your ma doesn't forget."  
Katie looks over at her father.  
"Thanks, Papa." she says to him with the same smile planted on her face.  
"I think my appetite has returned." Katie tells her parents as she takes a big bite of her eggs, now cold. Katie gets a look on her face that says it all.  
Michaela and Sully see their daughter's expression and laugh.  
"Cold eggs?" Sully asks her trying to stifle his laughter.  
Katie just nods, her mouth still full of the cold eggs.  
Once they finish their breakfast, Katie has to do her chores before she goes into town to see Hope. Michaela has a day off so she won't be going into town today. Sully is the one who will be taking her.  
Katie helps her mother with the dishes and then goes to do her chores.  
But before she makes it out the door, Sully stops her.  
"Katie, if ya hurry and do your chores, I will run ya into town. I have to go to town anyway."  
"Okay, Papa."  
Katie runs off to do her chores.  
Sully and Michaela watch their daughter leave.  
Sully puts his arm around Michaela and she does the same to him.  
"We have a wonderful daughter, don't we Michaela?"  
"Yes we do. She is growing up so fast."  
"Every time I look at her, I can't believe how much she looks like you. I am just amazed that we made her. We couldn't have done a better job."  
"You are right Sully. I always knew deep down that she would turn out the way she did. Beautiful, smart, and funny."  
"And stubborn as all get out." Sully adds.  
Michaela gives Sully a look.  
"Stubborn? Katie? Never!" Michaela jokes as she crosses her arms across her chest and pretends to be upset.  
"Yes, stubborn. Just like her mother, and I wouldn't have it any other way."  
Michaela looks up at her husband and sees the smile on his face. The smile that she can never get enough of, it makes her weak in the knees still even after 13 years of marriage.  
"Byron Sully, the things you do to me!"  
"But you still love me, right?" Sully gives Michaela a puppy dog look.  
"Yes. I always will. I fall in love with you more and more everyday. I never thought I could love someone this much or be this happy. You make me happy, Sully."  
They turn and face each other and Sully grabs Michaela's hands in his and looks her in the eyes.  
"You make me happy, too. I have never loved anyone the way that I love you, Michaela. I will always love you. Stubbornness and all."  
Michaela looks at Sully with so much love in her eyes as she wraps her arms around his neck.  
"Good." Then she pulls him into a passionate kiss that lasts what seems like forever, and that is how Katie finds them when she returns from doing her chores. She smiles. She hopes it's always like this.

Chapter 4 coming soon...


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sully and Katie are on the wagon, on their way to town. Katie has her puppy in her lap, trying to keep her still. She thought her parents would never stop kissing. It has been like that between ever since Katie can remember. She loves the fact that her parents still love each other so much but sometimes she wishes they would try to control themselves.  
Katie hopes to find the kind of love that her parents share someday. She wants a man like her father. Heroic, handsome, funny, and brave.  
Katie looks at her father as he is driving and can see why her mother fell in love with him. He still has his long hair and beautiful blue eyes. His buckskins and tanned skin. Her father would probably not be able to survive without his buckskins. Those are the only clothes he has ever been comfortable in. He dresses up when the occasion calls for it, but other than that, he is in his buckskins. That is what makes him Sully. He wouldn't be Sully dressed any other way.  
Sully notices his daughter staring at him with a smile on her face. He looks over at her.  
"Katie? Is everything all right?"  
"Hmm?"  
He asks her again.  
"Is everything all right?"  
Katie finally comes to her senses.  
"Yes, Papa. Everything is fine. I didn't mean to stare at you. I'm just glad you are my papa. I can see why mama fell in love with you."  
Sully turns 10 shades of red.  
"What do you mean by that, Katie?"  
"You are handsome, papa."  
"Katherine Sully! You are not supposed to think that way about your pa!"  
Katie gets embarrassed and looks down at the puppy and begins to stroke the squirming bundle.  
"I'm sorry."  
Sully adjusts the reins to one hand so he can put his arm around Katie.  
"I'm just jokin' with ya, Katie!"  
Katie looks up at her father with a smile on her face.  
"Papa!"  
"You wanna know somethin?"  
"What?"  
"I think you are just as beautiful as your ma and you get more beautiful everyday."  
"Really?"  
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."  
"Thanks, Papa."  
Sully squeezes Katie against him and they ride like that all the way to town.  
Once in town, Sully has to put both hands back on the reins so he can have better control when it comes time to stop.  
Before they have a chance to fully stop, Katie's 4 year old twin nieces come running up to the wagon.  
"Aunt Katie!"  
"Aimie! Angela!"  
Sully gets the wagon stopped and jumps down so he can help Katie get down.  
Once Katie gets down Aimie and Angela attack Katie with hugs.  
Katie tries to hug them back but with the puppy in her arms, it proves impossible.  
The puppy begins to whine and squirm in her arms due to being squished by Aimie and Angela.  
The girls stop hugging Katie when they discover the puppy.  
"Aunt Katie, you got a puppy?" Angela, the more inquisitive twin asks.  
"Yes, your grandpa got it for me."  
"Can I hold it?" Aimie, the more quiet twin asks, shyly.  
"Sure." Katie says as she hands the puppy to her niece.  
Both of the girls are fascinated with the puppy as they pet and cuddle her.  
Katie watches them with a smile on her face.  
Sully comes over to his daughter.  
"Katie, I need to go to Loren's to get some supplies. You have fun at Hope's and I will see you later."  
Katie looks up at her father.  
"Okay, Papa. I will see you later."  
They hug each other and then Sully heads off towards Loren's store.  
Katie turns her attention back to Aimie and Angela and her puppy.  
Before long, the happiness and excitement is broken when she hears Sarah calling for the twins.  
"Aimie?! Angela?!"  
Katie signals to her.  
"Sarah! They're over here!"  
Sarah runs over to them.  
"Hi, Katie."  
"Hi." Katie smiles at her sister-in-law.  
"Aimie and Angela Cooper! How many times have I told you not to wander off. Something could have happened to you!"  
Angela is the first to answer.  
"Sorry, mommy. We saw Aunt Katie."  
"Yes, mommy. She got a puppy from grandpa!" Aimie chimes in.  
"I see that!" Sarah smiles as she sees the puppy.  
"Would you like to hold her?" Katie asks.  
"Sure."  
Katie takes the puppy from Angela and hands her to Sarah.  
"Oh, Katie! She is so cute!"  
The puppy starts to lick Sarah's face.  
Everyone starts to laugh.  
"Have you thought of a name for her yet?" Sarah asks as the puppy continues to lick her face.  
"No. I just got her this morning and haven't had a chance to name her."  
"Katie Sully!"  
Katie turns to the sound of her name being called and it's her best friend, Hope.  
"Hope!"  
"I have been looking all over for you!" Hope tells her friend as she pulls her into a hug.  
"Sorry, I ran into Sarah, Aimie and Angela. They wanted to see my new puppy. That's what I wanted to show you when I came over."  
"You have a new puppy? Where is it?"  
"Sarah is holding her. Sarah, may I have the puppy? Hope wants to see her."  
"Sure. Here you go."  
Sarah hands the puppy to Hope.  
"Katie, she is beautiful!"  
"Thanks." Katie replies with a smile.  
"Are you ready to come to my house?" Hope asks.  
"Sure, let's go. Just let me say goodbye."  
"Alright."  
"Sarah, Aimie, Angela, I just wanted to say bye. I am going over to Hope's house."  
"I will see you later, Katie. You tell your ma to give us a call and maybe we can have supper. "  
"I will. Bye Sarah. Bye Aimie. Bye Angela."  
"Bye Aunt Katie."  
They all take turns hugging and then Hope and Katie head towards her house.  
"I can't wait to show my parents your puppy, Katie."  
"They will be surprised." Katie tells her friend.  
Their conversation continues until they get to Hope's house.  
They are lucky to have each other.

Chapter 5 coming soon...


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Back at the homestead...

Michaela is trying to keep herself busy, trying not to think about the house being empty. She is so used to Katie being here, she is almost never home by herself. If Sully isn't there, Katie is. She hopes they get home soon.  
She tries to read a book, but can't concentrate on what she is reading. She thinks about tending to her garden, but there isn't really much she can do. Sully took care of that earlier that morning before he left to get Katie's puppy. She decides to go see her horse, and maybe go for a ride. She hasn't ridden in awhile.  
She grabs her shawl off the hook by the door and heads outside towards the barn. On her way there she is greeted by an old friend. She doesn't recognize who it is at first until they start to approach her and then begin to speak.  
"Ha ho."  
Michaela get a smile on her face.  
"Cloud Dancing!"  
Michaela runs into his arms.  
"It is good to see you, Michaela."  
"It is good to see you, too. What brings you by?"  
"I came to talk to my brother. Is he here?"  
"I'm afraid not. He and Katie went to town awhile ago."  
Cloud Dancing smiles.  
"Katie. How is she doing?"  
"She is doing wonderfully. She is growing so much. Wait until you see her."  
"What is her age now?"  
"She is 12 years old."  
"I cannot believe that. I still remember the day when you introduced her to me after the train wreck, and now she is a young woman."  
Michaela smiles.  
"That she is."  
It gets quiet for a minute. But Michaela breaks the silence.  
"Would you like to come inside and have some coffee or tea?"  
Cloud Dancing is quiet for a minute and then he finally answers.  
"No. But thank you for asking. I need to be going. Please tell Sully I am looking for him and to have him come to the reservation."  
"I will do that Cloud Dancing. It was good to see you again."  
"It was good to see you too."  
With that said he waves goodbye and starts walking back towards the reservation. Michaela watches him leave.  
It was really great seeing Cloud Dancing again. It has been several months since they have seen him. He was on another one of his vision quests. According to Sully, Cloud Dancing was pondering whether or not to get married again. Snowbird was the love of his life but then he met Dorothy and courted her for awhile. Obviously it didn't work out but he met an Indian woman during one of his many journeys and fell in love. That is probably what he was there to talk to Sully about.  
Michaela breaks from her thoughts and realizes that she is standing in the yard staring, she probably looks strange doing that. She starts to go back to what she is doing but forgets what it was.  
Uh, oh. Old age is creeping up on her. She is becoming forgetful. Instead she goes back into the house and for some reason she starts feeling sick again, like she did that morning. She finds a chair and sits down. She puts her hand on her stomach.  
"What is wrong with me? I can't be sick, it's summertime. There is nothing going around that I could possibly catch. Maybe it's the early stages of menopause?"  
She is definitely going to go see Dr. Bernard in the morning, he will be in town then. She should be done in plenty of time before the train carrying her children arrives.  
She decides to go upstairs and lie down until Sully and Katie get home. It will make her feel better.

Meanwhile back in town...

"Loren, are you sure that's the right price for a bag of feed? I don't remember it being this much when I have bought it in the past."  
Loren grunts.  
"Sorry, Sully. I had to raise the prices on some things. Things are not looking good again."  
"You aren't about to lose your store again are ya?"  
"No. But, I gotta be careful on how much I am charging things to people. I don't charge some people enough and I end up losing money."  
"I don't know if I can afford this bag of feed at this price. I need to buy feed for the cows and horses, but this is just too much money."  
"How 'bout I make a deal with ya? If I sell you this bag of feed at the regular price, you come and do some repairs on the store for me?"  
Sully ponders a minute.  
"Sounds like a deal, Loren. When do you want me to start?"  
"Can ya start tomorrow?"  
Sully answers immediately.  
"I can't. The kids are coming to town tomorrow and I wanna be there with Michaela and Katie to meet them."  
"The kids? You mean Brian and Colleen?"  
"Yes."  
"They're coming in tomorrow?"  
Sully nods.  
"Why didn't ya tell me. I wanna be there to meet 'em too."  
"I thought you knew."  
"No. Nobody tells me nothing. I'm just the grouchy old man who runs the mercantile."  
Sully tries to stifle a laugh.  
"Well, if you want you can meet us at the train station tomorrow and we can all meet the kids together."  
"That's fine, Sully. Now are ya going to pay for the feed or not?"  
Sully pulls out his money and puts in on the counter. Loren takes it as Sully goes over and picks up the sack of feed and puts it over his shoulder.  
As Sully starts to leave Loren stops him.  
"Sully now, don't forget after tomorrow, you are gonna do some repairs for me."  
Sully nods his head and then walks out of the store.  
Sully wonders how long Loren can keep up the front that he is a grouchy, grumpy old man. Nobody believes it.  
With those thoughts running through his head, Sully drops the bag of feed into the back of the wagon.  
There are still a few things he has to do before he goes to get Katie. He wants Katie to spend as much time with Hope as possible since she gets so lonely being the only child at the homestead. That is one of the reasons he got her the puppy, so she would be less lonely. He is thinking these thoughts as he heads over to the livery to see Robert E. He wants to see if he finished the horseshoes that Sully requested.  
Once he gets over to the livery, he sees Robert E. with a customer so he decides to wait until he's done.  
While he waits he takes a look at some of Robert E.'s horses. Some of them look in pretty good shape. He might get one for Katie one of these days. Katie is needing a horse of her own. She is tired of riding Brian's horse, Taffy.  
Robert E. finishes up with his customer and sees Sully waiting so he approaches him.  
"Hey, Sully."  
Sully looks up from petting one of the horses.  
"Robert E. are you finished with my horseshoes?"  
"Just finished 'em up a little while ago. I'll go get 'em for ya."  
As he is doing so, Sully decides to ask him about Katie.  
"So is Katie enjoying herself at your house?"  
"Yes. She and Hope are so were showing Grace the puppy before I left. I am happy that Hope has a friend like Katie that she can count on. There aren't many girls like your daughter, Sully."  
Sully smiles.  
"She gets that from her ma. Michaela has taught our girl to treat everyone equally and to be nice to everyone that's nice to her."  
"Brian was the same way. He was always such a good friend to Anthony when he was alive."  
"Yes he was. Brian's a good kid. I am proud of all my kids."  
"You should be Sully. Katie is gonna grow up to be just like her mama."  
Sully smiles as Robert E. hands him the horseshoes.  
"Thanks Robert E. I owe you one."  
"Don't worry about it, it's on the house."  
"I wouldn't feel right not payin' ya."  
"After everything you have done for me over the years, it's the least I could do."  
Sully is speechless as he shakes Robert E's hand.  
"Well, I better go get my girl, so we can get back to the homestead. I'm sure Michaela is wondering where we are by now."  
"Okay, see you later Sully."  
"See you later Robert E."  
Sully waves as he heads towards Robert E and Grace's house to pick up his daughter.  
He and Katie are going to have a lot to talk about on the ride home.

Chapter 6 coming soon...


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sully and Katie are on their way back to the homestead, the wagon loaded up with supplies. Katie's puppy is curled up in a little ball asleep on her lap. Katie finally decided on a name for her puppy after visiting with Hope.  
Katie remembered that her father's wolf was named Wolf, so she decided, in memory of his wolf she would name her puppy Little Wolf. She remembered the day when Wolf died. Her father was so broken up about it. He was depressed for weeks. Wolf had been his companion for many years, long before her mother came to town. He was her father's only friend, besides Cloud Dancing.  
Wolf was sleeping on the porch one night, when a bear wandered onto the property. Wolf, trying to defend his home and master was attacked savagely by the bear. Michaela did all she could, but since she was a human doctor and not an animal doctor, she wasn't able to save him. They buried him out by the barn and marked his grave so he wouldn't be forgotten.  
She decided to tell her father.  
"Papa?"  
Sully looks at his daughter.  
"What?"  
"I have thought of a name for the puppy."  
Sully smiles.  
"What is it?"  
"Little Wolf. In memory of your Wolf, Papa."  
Sully gets a mixture of sadness and happiness on his face. He doesn't say anything at first as he turns his head away from Katie and looks ahead.  
Katie looks at her father, unsure of what to say. When she is about to open her mouth, Sully speaks.  
"Little Wolf. That is a great name, Katie. Thanks."  
Katie smiles at her father and then she looks down at her puppy who is still sleeping and begins to stroke her.  
"I love you Little Wolf."  
Sully and Katie continue their ride in silence as they get closer to the homestead.

Back at the homestead...

Michaela has been lying down on her bed to see if it would help her feel any better. She seems to be feeling better so she decides to get up to fix her husband and her daughter lunch before it gets too much later. As she stands up, the room begins to spin so she has to sit down. She puts her head between her legs to help stop the dizziness. The dizziness passes but then she starts to feel sick, so she has to hurry up and run downstairs to the toilet. This is the worst she has felt. She almost doesn't make it.  
She throws up everything in her stomach that she had eaten so far that day.  
"Why am I feeling so sick? What is wrong with me? Something is definitely not right." she says to herself.  
Once she gains her composure she gets up and leaves the toilet. She gets ready to make lunch and realizes she can't even look at food or she will be sick again. So she decides to go back upstairs and lie down again.  
That is where Sully and Katie find her when they arrive home.

A little while later...

Sully and Katie walk in the door. Katie goes and puts Little Wolf in her little bed by the fireplace. Sully looks around for his wife.  
"Michaela!"  
Katie watches her father as he walks around calling for Michaela.  
"Michaela!"  
She doesn't answer.  
"Papa, where is mama?"  
'I don't know, Kates."  
Katie's eyes get big when she hears her father call her Kates. He hasn't called her that since she was little.  
Sully doesn't realize he called her that because he is more concerned in finding his wife right now.  
Sully heads upstairs, with Katie on his heels.  
"Michaela!"  
Sully checks his bedroom first. When he walks in he sees Michaela lying on her stomach, spread out on the bed. She is out like a light.  
Sully approaches her. Katie is standing to the side watching.  
When he approaches her, he gets on his knees beside the bed and touches her face.  
"Michaela?" he whispers.  
She stirs.  
"Hmmm?"  
"There you are." Sully tells her, relieved.  
She sits up and grabs her head which is still spinning.  
Sully gets concerned.  
"Are you okay?"  
"I am not feeling very well for some reason."  
"What are your symptoms?"  
"Well, I have been lightheaded, nauseous, and I vomited earlier."  
"When did your symptoms start?"  
"Yesterday morning."  
"Yesterday morning? You are just now telling me?"  
"Calm down, Sully. I am sure I will be fine. I am going to see Dr. Bernard in the morning before we go meet the train."  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Michaela?"  
"I am a doctor and besides I didn't want to worry you."  
Sully stands up and sits beside her on the bed.  
"Worry me? You could never worry me. If you aren't feeling well, I want to know about it."  
"I'm sorry, Sully. I should have told you. I was feeling alright for awhile so I didn't think anything about it. Then I started feeling sick again this morning when you and Katie went to take care of the puppy and then after you left to go to town."  
It gets quiet for a few minutes as Sully starts rubbing Michaela's back as she continues to hold her head.  
Katie gets a smile on her face because she thinks she knows what is wrong with her mother.  
"Mama, I think I know what is wrong with you."  
Michaela looks up at her daughter.  
"You do?"  
Katie nods.  
"I think you are pregnant, mama."  
Michaela gives her daughter a look of complete shock.  
"What?"  
"I think you are pregnant."  
Michaela starts to laugh, like it's the most ridiculous thing she has ever heard in her life.  
"I'm not pregnant, Katie."  
"You have all the symptoms, mama. You are sick to your stomach, lightheaded, and tired. It has to be that."  
Michaela shakes her head.  
"It's impossible, sweetheart. I am over 50 years old. It's probably just the early signs of menopause."  
Katie just shrugs her shoulders.  
"I guess you will find out tomorrow when you see Dr. Bernard." Katie says.  
"Yes I will. I appreciate your concern, both of you. I will be alright. Now if you don't mind I am going to lie back down. My head is spinning."  
Michaela lays back down as Sully gets up, leans over and kisses her cheek.  
"Good idea, me and Katie will go make our own lunch and let you rest."  
"Yes, mama. I will make lunch for me and papa."  
"Thank you. You are the best daughter I could ever ask for." Michaela tells her daughter with a smile on her face as she reaches out for a hug.  
Katie hugs her.  
"Let's go Katie, and let your ma rest."  
Katie pulls out of the hug and she and her father leave the room and close the door behind them. After they are gone, Michaela puts her hand on her stomach and thinks to herself.  
"Is Katie right? Am I pregnant?" she shakes her head.  
"Impossible."  
After that she closes her eyes with her hand still on her stomach.

Chapter 7 coming soon...


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Later that evening...

Sully and Katie are sitting at the table playing checkers.

"I won again!" Katie cheers.  
"How did you get so good at checkers, Katie?" Sully asks.  
"Brian taught me."  
"He's a good teacher."  
"You wanna play again, Papa?"  
"No, you have beaten me six times already."  
"Sorry, Papa. I didn't mean to beat you." Katie tells her father with an innocent look on her face that meant she beat him on purpose.  
"Yes you did." Sully tells his daughter with a smile on his face as he gets up and starts tickling her. This makes Katie giggle with delight.  
"Papa! Stop it!"Katie manages to say between giggles.  
The commotion causes Michaela to come downstairs to investigate.  
"What is going on down here?"  
Sully and Katie stop what they are doing and look at Michaela.  
"Sorry, Michaela. I was just getting Katie back for beating me at checkers."  
"It's alright. I just thought someone was being hurt."  
"No, mama. We're both fine."  
Michaela has to go sit down in the chair because her stomach is still bothering her. She wasn't able to eat the dinner that Sully and Katie made.  
Katie walks over to her mother.  
"Mama, are you still feeling sick?"  
Michaela has her head leaned back on the back of the chair as she nods. Her eyes are closed.  
"I am gonna make you some tea that will help your stomach. It's the kind you always make for me when I am feeling sick."  
Michaela smiles at her daughter.  
"Thanks, sweetheart."  
Katie smiles back at her mom and runs into the kitchen to make the tea.  
Sully kneels in front of the chair facing his wife.  
"I hope you are going to be okay, Michaela. I hate seeing you this way. You are always so strong and healthy."  
"Sometimes even we doctors get sick." Michaela replies weakly.  
Sully grabs Michaela's hand and kisses it.  
Just then there's a knock at the door.  
Katie who is still in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil for the tea, runs to the door.  
"I'll get it."  
She opens the door and doesn't see who it is at first because it is dark.  
"Ha ho."  
"Cloud Dancing!"  
Katie is happy to see her Cheyenne father.  
Cloud Dancing steps in the house as Katie wraps him in a hug.  
"I am so happy to see you!"  
"I am happy to see you, Katie. Your mother was right, you are a young lady."  
Katie pulls out of the hug and looks at Cloud Dancing.  
"I am 12 years old."  
Sully has approached his brother by this time just waiting for the proper time to greet him.  
"You are just as beautiful as your mother."  
Katie smiles and then blushes. She is speechless.  
"I better go check on the water for the tea. Excuse me."  
Katie runs back into the kitchen as Sully and Cloud Dancing greet one another.  
"Sully, my brother. It is good to see you."  
"It's good to see you, too. What brings you by."  
"I stopped by earlier today and spoke to Michaela. I was waiting for you to stop by the reservation."  
"Stop by the reservation? She never told me."  
Michaela slowly approaches them.  
"Sully, I am so sorry. I forgot to tell you that Cloud Dancing came by earlier looking for you. He asked me to have you stop by the reservation when you got home. I was feeling sick and it slipped my mind."  
"It's okay. The important thing is that he is here now."  
"May we go somewhere and talk? It is very important."  
"Yes, let's go out to the barn and talk there. We will have plenty of privacy."  
Sully grabs his jacket off the hook by the door as he and Cloud Dancing head out the door.  
"I will be back in a little while, Michaela."  
She nods and waves as he closes the door behind them.  
Michaela goes and sits back down in the chair. Katie almost immediately brings her the tea.  
"Here's the tea, mama. It always helps me feel better."  
Katie hands her mother the tea.  
"Thanks, Katie."  
"You're welcome. Would you like me to read some of the book that I got at the library?"  
"Sure."  
Katie pulls another chair over so she can sit down by her mother. She sits down and opens the book and begins reading.

Meanwhile in the barn...

"So what did you need to talk to me about?"  
"I met someone and I am getting married. I would like you to be my best man."  
"You are getting married?"  
"Yes."  
"You couldn't say this in front of Michaela and Katie?"  
"I wasn't sure how they would feel. Michaela was very close to Snowbird and I thought she would be angry if she knew I was getting married again."  
"Knowing my wife the way I do, I would have to say she would be very understanding. She would want you to be happy."  
"There is something else."  
"What is it? You can tell me anything."  
"I am going to be a father again."  
"You are going to be a pa again?"  
"Yes, that is why I didn't want anyone else to know. I have to marry her. I can't let my baby be born without us being married."  
"Do you love her?"  
"Yes, I do."  
"Then you have my blessing, Cloud Dancing. Congratulations on being a pa again."  
"Thank you my brother. So will you be my best man?"  
"Yes, I will. I would be proud to be your best man."  
"I want Michaela and Katie to be in the wedding as well."  
"You can count on them."  
"Good. I am glad to hear this. I can't wait for you to meet my future wife."  
"What is her name?"  
"Morningstar."  
"That is a beautiful name."  
"Yes. She is beautiful. I cannot wait for you and your family to meet her."  
"We are looking forward to it."  
Sully and Cloud Dancing finish up their conversation as they leave the barn. Sully sees his brother off as he heads back towards the house. Once he gets back inside he sees his wife and daughter sitting together. Katie is reading a story as Michaela sits there and listens intently while drinking her tea. This puts a smile on his face. He can't wait to tell them about Cloud Dancing.

Later that night...

Sully and Michaela are lying in bed.

"So that is what Cloud Dancing wanted to tell you was that he is getting married again? I knew about that already, Sully."  
"Yes, but did you know that he is going to be a new pa?"  
"Really? That's wonderful. Is that why he didn't want me to know? He wasn't married yet and is expecting a baby?"  
"Yes, he didn't know what you would think of him."  
"I could never think anything bad about him. I am glad he is getting married and having a baby. I couldn't be happier for him."  
"I am happy to hear that, Michaela because he wants you and Katie to be in the wedding."  
"Katie is going to love that. She was so happy to be in Matthew and Sarah's wedding. I can't wait to tell her." Michaela says, smiling.  
"So much to look forward to. We have Colleen's new baby coming, and Cloud Dancing's getting married and having a baby. That is what life's all about."  
"And we may be having a baby of our own." Michaela thinks to herself but says something else entirely.  
"Yes, it is." Michaela answers as she snuggles up to her husband.  
If only Sully could read her mind as they both drift off to sleep waiting for another day.

Chapter 8 coming soon...and yes, Michaela will find out about the baby! Stay tuned!


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Katie opens her eyes to the bright morning sunshine shining in her window. She is lying there waiting for her mother to wake her but then she remembered that her mother had a doctor's appointment before meeting the train. She hopes that her mother is okay as she gets out of bed and gets herself ready to start the day.  
She brushes her long brown hair and then picks out her pretty blue dress to wear to meet her family. It the dress that everyone loves her in because it brings out her beautiful blue eyes. She has been told that it makes her eyes sparkle.  
She braids her hair and then gets dressed. She picks out a pretty blue ribbon to put in her hair, she ties it to the end of her long braid.  
Once she is done getting dressed, she goes downstairs to fix something for breakfast. She realizes her father was already awake and had his breakfast because there are dirty dishes in the washtub. He is out doing the chores before they have to go to town.  
Katie fixes herself some oatmeal and makes herself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. She sits down and hungrily eats everything so she will have energy for the long day ahead. She is so excited to be seeing Colleen and Brian again; it has been two long years. She can't wait to see how much her niece Isabella has grown. There is a lot to catch up on.  
Once she finishes her breakfast, she cleans up her mess and washes the dishes. Just as she is finishing up, her father walks in and sees her cleaning up.  
Katie looks up from what she is doing and looks at her father.  
"Hi, Papa. I am almost done here and then we can go to town."  
Sully just stands there staring at Katie, not saying anything. It's like he's lost in a daydream.  
"Papa?"  
This brings Sully back to reality.  
"I'm sorry, Katie. Did you say something?"  
"Yes. I was just letting you know that I am almost done here and then we can go to town."  
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I am going to go get cleaned up and then we can leave." Sully replies still seemingly distracted as he starts to head towards the stairs.  
"Papa, are you okay?"  
Sully looks at his daughter and smiles.  
"Yes I'm fine. I just saw you standing there and you looked so much like your ma. I still can't believe it sometimes how much you look like her. You a beautiful young lady, Katie. I am lucky to have you and your ma."  
Katie smiles at her father.  
"Thanks, Papa. We are lucky to have you too."  
They look at each other for a minute and then Sully turns around and heads upstairs to get ready so they can leave.  
Katie goes back to what she is doing and then waits for her father to get ready.  
He eventually comes down dressed in a suit and looking as handsome as she has ever seen him. They are going to be two of the best looking people in town.

Meanwhile back in town...

Michaela is at the Chateau waiting for Dr. Bernard to get done with a patient. She is already dressed for meeting the train because as soon as she gets done here, she is going to join her family to meet the train.  
Dr. Bernard and his patient open the door and come out of the clinic talking.  
"Make sure you take that as I have prescribed and you will be feeling better in no time."  
"I will, thanks again, doctor."  
Michaela watches as the patient leaves as Dr. Bernard directs his attention to her.  
"Dr. Quinn! To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
"Hello, Dr. Bernard. I was wondering if you had the time to see me this morning?"  
"Certainly, let's step into my clinic."  
Once inside the clinic Dr. Bernard starts asking the necessary questions.  
"So, what seems to be the matter?"  
"To tell you the truth, I don't know. I have been feeling sick to my stomach and lightheaded. I vomited yesterday and haven't been able to eat anything since. My head has been spinning so much, I can't stand for very long."  
"When did these symptoms start?"  
"Two days ago. I woke up feeling sick and then the feeling passed. I was fine until the yesterday morning and then started feeling sick again, only it was worse than before and lasted much longer."  
Dr. Bernard stands there and thinks for a minute.  
"Why don't you go lie down on the examining table and we can run some tests on you to see what is wrong."  
Michaela nods and does as she is told.  
"How are you feeling right now, Dr. Quinn?"  
"My stomach feels like it's doing somersaults."  
"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"  
"I am 50 years old."  
"Are you still getting your monthly?"  
"I haven't had one in awhile."  
"Do you remember the last one you had?"  
"It's been over a month."  
"It probably is menopause. I will examine you anyway just to be on the safe side."  
Dr. Bernard begins a series of tests on Michaela. Some of them very uncomfortable but necessary to determine what is wrong.  
When he finally finishes his examination he has a huge smile on his face. Michaela looks at him with a confused look on her face as he cleans up. She sits up and straightens her hair and clothes her eyes never leaving him.  
Once he is done, he approaches her and looks directly at her.  
"You are not going to believe this, Dr. Quinn, but it appears that you are pregnant."  
"What did you just say, Dr. Bernard?"  
"You're pregnant."  
"You can't be serious."  
"It's true. You are going to be a mother again."  
"That's impossible. I'm too old."  
"Apparently not because you've got a baby growing in you."  
"How far along am I?"  
"At least six weeks from the way things look."  
Michaela just sits there completely blown away by this news.  
"Do you need a minute to get yourself together? I can leave if you need me to."  
"No, that's not necessary, Dr. Bernard. I actually need to get going. I have to go meet the train, my children are coming."  
"Well, okay. I want you to take it easy and come and see me every two weeks to see how the baby is progressing. Since you are older, there are going to be risks involved."  
"I understand. Thank you for taking the time to see me. I will see you soon."  
Before Dr. Bernard can reply Michaela is out the door and gone.

Meanwhile at the train station...

Everyone is gathered around waiting for the train. Sully and Katie are anxiously waiting for Michaela to get there because they don't want her to miss anything.  
Matthew, Sarah and the twins, Loren, Dorothy, her daughter Christina and family, the Reverend, Jake, Teresa and JJ, Horace, Myra, Samantha and Micah, and Cloud Dancing are all there waiting to see Colleen, Andrew and Brian get off the train.  
Finally, Michaela gets there and tracks down her husband and daughter who are both happy that she finally made it.  
Michaela notices what Katie is wearing and compliments her on it. Katie tells her mother that she looks pretty too.  
Sully does notice that something is bothering Michaela.  
"Michaela, are you all right? Did everything go okay with the doctor?"  
"Everything went well, Sully. I am perfectly healthy."  
"Then why are you feeling sick?"  
"I would rather wait to tell you at a better time."  
"I don't see what is wrong with tellin' me now, while we are all here together."  
"Sully!" Michaela replies with a hint of frustration in her voice.  
"What?!"  
He looks at Michaela waiting for an answer.  
She looks down at her feet and then back up at Sully and Katie. Tears begin to well up in her eyes.  
Katie becomes concerned.  
"Mama, what's wrong?"  
"I'm pregnant."  
"What did you say, Michaela? There is so much noise, I couldn't hear you."  
" I'M PREGNANT!" she yells over the commotion.  
It suddenly gets quiet as everyone stops what he or she are doing and look over at her with shocked looks on their faces.  
Sully just stands there with a look of shock and disbelief on his face, he can't move. Katie is smiling and happy. Everyone comes over and begins congratulating Michaela and hugging her and Sully.  
Everyone is so excited over the news that they almost forget the train until they hear the whistle.  
They all go back to what they were doing as they prepare to meet Colleen, Andrew, Brian and Isabella.  
Michaela wraps her arms around Katie and pulls her next to her as she places her other hand over the spot where she and Sully's baby is growing. Then the people start coming off the train one by one until she spots Colleen who is as big as a house and Andrew who is carrying Isabella.  
Then she sees Brian, whom she almost doesn't recognize because he has gotten so big, and he has a girl with him.  
Everyone else gets a shot at greeting them first before they make their way over to their family.  
This is going to be a wonderful family reunion and what wonderful news Michaela has to share with her children.

Chapter 9 coming soon...


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Now it's the family's turn to get a chance to say hello.  
Katie just kind of stands there waiting to be greeted. She hasn't seen these people in two years and it's all overwhelming to her.  
"Colleen, I can't believe how big you have gotten! Look at you!" Michaela tells her daughter as she gives her a big hug.  
"I know, ma. I woke up one day and my feet were gone. I don't remember being this big when I was carrying Isabella. I have a feeling I am having a boy."  
"A boy? That would be wonderful, Colleen."  
Colleen smiles as she holds her huge belly.  
"Gramma!" Isabella screams as she runs into Michaela and wraps her arms around her waist.  
"Isabella! How big you have gotten!" Michaela tells her granddaughter as she kneels down to her level.  
"I'm six now." Isabella says as she holds up her hands revealing six fingers.  
"You are a smart girl, too."  
Isabella nods and grins as Michaela wraps her in a hug.  
"Hi, ma."  
Michaela stops what she is doing with Isabella and looks up to see her son, all grown up. She stands up and looks at him for a minute and then hugs him fiercely.  
"Brian."  
"Ma, there's someone I want you to meet."  
Brian puts his hand on the young lady's shoulder.  
"This is Maggie. Maggie, this is my ma, Dr. Michaela Quinn."  
Michaela extends her hand.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Maggie."  
Maggie shakes her hand.  
"The feeling is mutual."  
"I would love you to meet my daughter, Katie."  
Katie looks at her mother after hearing her name.  
"Katie, this is Maggie."  
"Hello, Maggie." Katie shakes her hand.  
"This is my husband, Byron Sully. This is Maggie."  
"A pleasure to meet ya, Maggie." Sully shakes her hand.  
"So this is the surprise you had for us, Brian."  
"Yes it is, ma. Are ya surprised?"  
"I am surprised. But in a good way."  
Brian smiles.  
Andrew approaches his in-laws.  
"Hello Michaela, Sully."  
"Hello, Andrew."  
They shake hands.  
"So are you nervous about becoming a father again?"  
"You have no idea, I was so worried that Colleen was going to go into labor before we got here."  
Michaela laughs.  
Colleen walks over to her mother.  
"Ma? What are you laughing about?"  
"Just something Andrew said."  
"What did he say?"  
"He was worried you were going to go into labor on the way here."  
"I know, he wouldn't leave me alone the whole trip."  
"Well, you don't have anything to worry about, because you are here now and I will take good care of you and that baby."  
Colleen smiles.  
"I know you will, ma."  
They hug.  
Sully approaches them.  
"I think we should be heading for the homestead."  
"Okay, Sully."  
They all say their goodbyes to the townspeople as they all pile into two wagons. Sully makes sure Michaela sits in front with him since she is in a delicate condition. He doesn't want anything to happen to this baby. He is hoping that this is the son he has always wanted. He is going to take such good care of Michaela; she won't be able to stand it.  
As everyone is getting situated in the wagon, Sully puts his arm around Michaela.  
She looks at him with a surprised look on her face. He gives her a look of pure affection.  
"I love you, Michaela."  
"I love you too, Sully."  
He puts his hand on the spot where the baby is growing. She looks down at what he is doing. Then she places her hand over his and then looks back up at her husband.  
"Our baby."  
"Yes, our baby."  
Then they passionately kiss. Katie notices.  
"Okay, you two. Are we going to sit here and wait for you to stop kissing or are we going home?" Katie teases.  
They pull out of the kiss and look at their daughter.  
"We're going home, Katie." Michaela tells her daughter.  
Sully gets the wagon moving.  
On the way to the homestead Sully notices that Michaela looks like she's not feeling good again.  
"Are you feeling okay?" he asks.  
"Just the usual, Sully. I will be alright once we get home."  
"You are gonna lie down once we get home."  
"Yes, I will lie down for a little while and then I am going to visit with the children."  
"When are you going to tell them the news?"  
"When the time is right, I am surprised nobody in town told them."  
"I am glad that they are on Matthew's wagon and we just have Katie and the luggage with us. I don't want them to suspect anything yet."  
"They are going to be so surprised and happy, Sully."  
"Just as we are. Who would have thought we would have another baby at this stage of our life?"  
"I surely didn't. I didn't think I could still get pregnant. I went all that time and never got pregnant and then at 50 years of age, I'm having a baby."  
"It's our second chance to have the baby that we lost."  
"Yes, it is. This baby is going to be so loved, it going to want to live."  
Michaela puts her hand on her stomach.  
"You hear that, baby. You're gonna make it."  
Sully grabs her free hand and kisses it.  
"We're gonna make it."  
Michaela looks up at him with tears in her eyes. She never thought she could love one man so much. Their daughter and their unborn child was proof of that love. It will still be going strong until the day they die.  
Katie just sits in the back of the wagon between the luggages listening to her parents.  
Would it always be like this? Katie hopes so. She doesn't want to be anywhere else but where she is right now. She is going to be a big sister and a great one at that.  
Her thoughts continue on as they reach the homestead.

Chapter 10 coming soon...Michaela tells the others about the baby! Stay tuned!


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As soon as they got to the homestead Katie got out of the wagon and ran in the house to check on Little Wolf. She was waiting for Katie as soon as she opened the door. Her little tail was wagging as she jumped up and put her front paws on Katie.  
Katie picked her up and started cuddling her.  
"I missed you Little Wolf. I'm sorry I haven't spent much time with you today. I have been busy with my family. I can't wait to have them meet you. They will fall in love with you."  
As soon as Katie said that, everyone starts filing into the house. Isabella and the twins come thundering in the door, chasing each other and laughing.  
Andrew has Colleen by the arm, helping her get in the door and then sitting her down in the chair by the fireplace.  
Sully, Matthew and Brian all bring the luggage in as Michaela and Maggie come in engaged in conversation. For a minute Katie is jealous because nobody seems to notice her or Little Wolf.  
Then as if reading her thoughts, Isabella bumps into the back of Katie scaring her half to death.  
Isabella realizes what she did and looks at her aunt with a guilty look on her face.  
"Sorry Aunt Katie."  
Katie looks at her little niece and smiles.  
"It's okay, Izzy."  
Isabella loves her aunt's little nickname for her. She notices the puppy Katie is holding.  
"You got a puppy?"  
Katie nods.  
"Yes, grandpa got her for me. Her name is Little Wolf. Would you like to hold her?"  
Isabella smiles and nods.  
"Yes."  
Katie hands her niece the puppy. Isabella just loves her. She walks around carrying the puppy and showing her off.  
Katie stands there watching her and smiling. Her puppy is a big hit.  
Katie is interrupted when her big brother Brian comes up behind her and taps her on the shoulder.  
Katie turns around and sees Brian and smiles.  
"Hi, Brian!"  
She is happy to see him. She gives him a big hug.  
"Sorry, I haven't had a chance to talk to you before now, Katie. It's just been so hectic since we got here."  
They pull out of the hug.  
"It's okay, Brian. I am just glad you're here. I am glad to see you."  
"It's good to see you too, Katie. I can't believe how big you are."  
Katie rolls her eyes and smiles.  
"That's what everyone says. I guess everyone expected me to stay a little girl."  
"I thought the same thing when I was your age. Everyone expected me to stay a little boy forever."  
"So where did you meet Maggie? She's beautiful."  
"She works at the newspaper with me. She's a typist."  
Katie gives Brian a confused look.  
"A typist? What's that?"  
"It's someone who works with a typewriter. A typewriter is a machine that has these keys with letters on them and when you push down on them they make words on paper."  
"That sounds really interesting. I should talk to Maggie and get to know her better."  
"I think she would love that, Katie."  
Maggie walks up to them.  
"So are you two talking about me?"  
"Yes, we are but nothing but good things." Brian says to her with a peck on her cheek.  
"Brian was just telling me how he met you and what you do. I think it's very interesting that you work with something called a typewriter."  
"It is very interesting, Katie. Maybe I could show you soon. I brought my typewriter with me."  
"That would be nice." Katie tells Maggie with a smile.  
Maggie looks over at the group of people talking. Michaela being in the mix of people.  
"You know your mother is the most interesting and wonderful person I have met in a long time. She is smart and beautiful. I can see why Brian turned out the way he did, having her for a mother."  
"Thanks, Maggie. Our mother really is wonderful." Katie replies.  
Isabella bringing the puppy back interrupts them.  
"Okay, Aunt Katie you can have her back now."  
Isabella tells her aunt as she hands her the puppy and runs off.  
Katie just stands there holding the puppy with a look of disbelief on her face.  
"What was that about?" Brian asks.  
Katie pulls the puppy to her chest and pets her.  
"I have no idea."

Meanwhile...

Sully ends his conversation with Andrew and Matthew and approaches his wife.  
"Do you want to tell them now?" he whispers in her ear.  
She turns her head slightly towards him.  
"I guess now would be a good time as any."  
Sully walks away from the crowd and whistles loudly. Everyone stops what they are doing and looks at him.  
"Michaela and I have an announcement to make."  
Michaela approaches him and puts her arm around him, he does the same. They look at each other.  
Everyone is waiting to hear what they have to say.  
"Are you gonna tell us, Sully or do we have to guess?" Matthew asks jokingly.  
Michaela takes a big breath before she begins.  
"Sully and I just found out that we are going to have a baby."  
Everyone is quiet for a minute, not believing what they just heard.  
Sarah approaches them.  
"Did you just say that you and Sully are having a baby?"  
Michaela nods.  
"Yes. I found out this morning. I was feeling under the weather so I decided to see Dr. Bernard. He examined me and told me I was pregnant."  
Brian, being always inquisitive has to put his two cents in.  
"Is that even possible, Ma? Aren't you too old?"  
"Brian!" Katie admonishes as she smacks his arm.  
Brian rubs the spot where Katie smacked him.  
Michaela looks at her daughter.  
"Katie, that was not necessary. We don't hit people."  
Katie looks down.  
"Sorry, mama."  
Matthew breaks the silence.  
"Well, I am happy for you two. Congratulations."  
Matthew hugs Michaela and shakes Sully's hand.  
After everyone gets over their initial shock they join in.  
"Yes, congratulations. It is wonderful news, ma." Colleen replies as she hugs her mother and Sully.  
"Wow, a baby. Who would have thought?" Andrew tells Michaela and Sully.  
Michaela gives Andrew an "I know" look as she puts her hand on her tummy where the baby is growing.  
Aimie and Angela approach Katie and ask her what is going on.  
"Aunt Katie, what did Grandma mean when she said she and Grandpa are having a baby?" Angela asks.  
Katie squats down to her level.  
"It means that you are going to get a new aunt or uncle. I am going to be a big sister."  
"Aren't you too old to be a big sister?" Aimie's four-year-old mind wonders.  
"No, you are never too old or too young to be a big sister."  
Isabella hears the conversation and approaches them.  
"I'm six and I'm going to be a big sister." Isabella points to her chest proudly.  
"That's right, Izzy. You are."  
Katie smiles at her niece.  
"Do you think me and Aimie will ever be big sisters?"  
"I'm sure you will someday, Angela. Until then, you have each other."  
Brian is watching his little sister talk to the children. He can't believe how smart she is and how well she does with them. He is so proud of her. She is going to grow up to be just like their mother.  
He is going to be a big brother again, he can't believe it. His mother and father are having another baby. It truly is a miracle.  
He continues to be lost in thoughts as Maggie excuses herself to join in the conversation with the others.  
What a truly joyous occasion.  
The gathering goes on for several more hours until Grace shows up with food for everyone.  
Everyone except Michaela of course. She can't even look at food without feeling sick.  
It leaves more for everyone else. She will just drink her tea and let everyone enjoy Grace's wonderful cooking.  
Grace is told about the news of the baby and she is extremely happy for Sully and Michaela. Hope is there too, and Katie tells her the news. Hope is happy for Katie even though she knows her parents will never be able to give her any more siblings.  
Katie is like her sister anyway. Her parents are Katie's godparents. That's all she needs.

Things start to die down, so that means that Matthew, Sarah and the twins have to go home so they can take a proper nap and so do Grace and Hope. The twins have already fallen asleep and Isabella can't keep her eyes open.  
Michaela needs to go lie down to give herself and the baby a rest because she is going to need all the rest she can get. She is going to have to help bring her grandchild into the world and it's going to happen sooner than anyone realizes.

Chapter 11 coming soon... Colleen has her baby! Stay tuned!


	12. Chapter 11

Note to readers: My Colleen is more like Erika's version than Jessica's. I always imagined Colleen's daughter looking like her, with the blond hair and everything. So when you are reading this imagine Erika's Colleen and her daughter together.

Chapter 11

After everyone had gone home, Michaela needed to lie down for a while. She is still feeling sick because of the baby. She doesn't want to take any chances with this pregnancy, so she is taking care of herself.  
Katie is outside playing with her puppy while Sully and Andrew went to the reservation to visit Cloud Dancing and to see if he would come to the homestead so they can all meet his fiancé, Morningstar. Sully also wanted to tell him the good news about the baby he was expecting.  
Colleen was lying down as well because she is very tired due to the baby being due soon. She had also been on a long trip and it wore her out even more than usual.  
Isabella was taking a nap in her mother's old room. They put a cot in there for her to sleep on so her parents could have the bed.  
Maggie would be sharing a room with Katie. Brian gets his old room.  
They were all going to go to the Chateau but Michaela and Sully insisted that they stay there. They wouldn't take no for an answer.  
Brian took Maggie for a ride on his horse, Taffy. He had missed his old horse so much. Taffy has missed him too. Brian was happy that Katie was taking such good care of her.

Meanwhile...

Colleen and her daughter Isabella are sleeping together on the bed. It is so cute seeing them together. Isabella was all scrunched up against her mother with her head in her chest and her hands scrunched up under her cheek. Her blond hair spread out on the blanket. Colleen had one arm under her head and her other one placed over her huge belly. If only Michaela could see them now, her heart would swell. It is a beautiful sight.  
Suddenly, they are both woken up out of a sound sleep because Colleen begins to have really bad pains.  
Colleen sits straight up in bed and grabs her stomach.  
Isabella is still a little groggy after being woken up from a sound sleep, sits up and rubs her eyes and yawns.  
"Mommy are you okay?"  
"Go and get Grandma, please."  
"Okay, mommy."  
Isabella gets out of the bed and runs to her grandparent's room. She gets to the door and knocks.  
"Gramma?!"  
There is no answer so she opens the door and goes in. She sees her grandmother sound asleep. She hates to wake her up but her mother needs her.  
Isabella approaches her grandmother and shakes her.  
"Gramma?"  
All of the sudden there is a shrill scream coming from Colleen. This wakes Michaela up with a start. She sees her granddaughter standing there.  
"Isabella? What are you doing in here?"  
"Mommy needs you. I think she is having the baby."  
Michaela looks at her granddaughter for a minute and then she comes back to reality and gets up and runs to get her medical bag and some water.  
"Isabella, go be with your mother and tell her I will be right there."  
"Okay, gramma."  
Another shrill scream comes from Colleen.  
Isabella goes to be with her mother.  
"Mommy, gramma said she would be right here, she had to go get something."  
Colleen just nods as she continues holding her stomach as rocking back and forth. She has her eyes shut to the pain.  
As Michaela is downstairs getting her bag, Katie comes in.  
"Mama, is something wrong? I heard Colleen screaming."  
"She is having the baby, Katie. I want you to come upstairs with me. I need someone to watch Isabella while I tend to your sister."  
"But I want to help with Colleen."  
"I know you do, sweetheart. But, someone needs to watch Isabella until someone gets back to watch her."  
"Okay, mama. I'll watch her." Katie says with some reluctance in her voice.  
Michaela hands the pitcher of water to Katie.  
They both go upstairs and into Colleen's room where Isabella is sitting on the bed with her mother. She is rubbing her back. It is so cute to see. She stops and sees her grandmother and aunt come in.  
"Mommy hurts, gramma."  
"I know, sweetheart. I am going to take care of her. I want you to go with Katie for awhile so I can take care of her, okay?"  
"Okay, gramma."  
Katie pours the pitcher of water into the basin and sets it down on the table. She then goes over to her niece.  
"Come on, Izzy. Let's go play with Little Wolf."  
Katie grabs Isabella's hand as they leave the room and go downstairs.  
"It hurts so much, Ma."  
"I know, Colleen. I am here to take care of you and that baby."  
"Thank you so much for doing this."  
"I am happy to do it." Michaela tells her daughter with a smile on her face.  
Colleen smiles back at her mother through the pain.  
"Let's see how the baby is progressing."  
Colleen lies down on her back as Michaela washes her hands in the warm water. She then dries them on the clean towel and then pulls the covers up so she can see what she needs to see in order to do her job.  
Colleen gives out another shrill scream.  
"I know it hurts, Colleen."  
Michaela looks to see how far along Colleen is because her contractions are coming really close together already.  
"Has your water broken?"  
"Yes, after I sent Isabella to get you. The sheets are wet."  
"That's okay, it's not important right now. It looks like you are 7 centimeters dilated. It shouldn't be much longer now."  
"I figured I would go into labor, I haven't felt good since we got back to the homestead."  
"Just like when you had Isabella. You felt awful all day long and then she came later that night."  
"I remember, Ma." Colleen says with a smile.  
Then another contraction hits as Colleen screams.  
"You still have got a little more to go, it's not quite time yet."  
"I really didn't want to have the baby here, Ma."  
"I know, sweetheart but we don't have time to get to town and to the clinic. I have everything I need here for a proper delivery. Everything will be fine."  
Colleen nods as she grabs her mother's hand.

Meanwhile...

"Aunt Katie, is mommy going to be okay?"  
"Yes, she will be fine. Grandma is the best doctor and will take really good care of her."  
Katie and Isabella are outside playing with Little Wolf.  
Brian and Maggie come up on Taffy.  
"Hi, Katie. Is everything okay?" Brian asks.  
Katie looks over at her brother.  
"Colleen is in labor."  
"Oh."  
"Now that you're here, I'm going to go help Mama. Will you watch Isabella?"  
"Sure, go ahead."  
"You take good care of Little Wolf for me, Izzy."  
"I will, Aunt Katie."  
Katie smiles at her niece as she gets up and runs into the house and upstairs.  
She gets upstairs and into Colleen's room.  
"Hi Mama. How is everything?"  
"Things are right on schedule. Who's watching Isabella?"  
"Brian and Maggie. She's playing with the puppy."  
Michaela smiles.  
"That should keep her entertained for awhile."  
Katie nods.  
"So what do you need me to do, Mama?"  
"Come here."  
Katie does as she is told.  
"I want you to tell me if she dilates anymore while I get the instruments ready."  
Katie nods as she lifts up the covers and looks and then puts them back down again.  
Michaela goes to get the instruments from her bag on the table.  
Colleen screams again.  
"How does it look Katie?"  
Katie looks again.  
"I think she's about ready, mama."  
"Good, everything is right on schedule."  
"I wish Andrew would get back here. I want him here to see our baby, ma."  
"He will be back here as soon as he can, right now you just need to concentrate on delivering the baby."  
Colleen nods.  
Katie looks again.  
"I think it's time, Mama."  
Michaela comes over and looks.  
"Yes, good job Katie. It's time to deliver your baby, Colleen. Katie, I want you to help Colleen by holding her hand and coaching her. Here is a towel to wipe her forehead."  
Michaela hands her daughter a towel. Katie walks over to the head of the bed and grabs Colleen's hand.  
Colleen looks up and her sister and smiles.  
"I'm glad you're here Katie."  
Katie smiles back.  
"So am I."  
"I need you to sit up Colleen."  
Colleen sits up as best as she can.  
Michaela pulls the covers up so she can see what she is doing.  
"Now push."  
Colleen pushes as hard as she can.  
"Uhnh!"  
"Good girl! You can stop for a minute, the baby is crowning."  
Colleen pants as Katie wipes her forehead.  
"Okay, now push!"  
Colleen pushes with all her might.  
"Uhnh!"  
"You are doing great Colleen, the head is out."  
Colleen smiles in between pants.  
Katie mops Colleen's forehead again.  
Michaela cleans out the baby's nose and mouth.  
"You just have to get the shoulders out."  
Colleen gives this one all she's got.  
"UHNH!"  
She stops and then gives one more big push.  
"UHNH!"  
Suddenly there is a shrill cry of a baby.  
Michaela is so happy.  
"It's a boy!" she tells her daughters with a big smile on her face.  
She cuts the umbilical cord and cleans him off. She wraps him in a clean towel and hands him to his mother.  
"Colleen, he's beautiful! You did a wonderful job, sweetheart!"  
"Thank you so much, ma. I can't believe it. I have a son!"  
Colleen says with a big smile on her face as she kisses his pink wrinkled face.  
"I have a nephew!" Katie says happily.  
Michaela stands behind Katie with her hands on her shoulders as they watch Colleen with the baby.  
After a few minutes Michaela breaks the silence.  
"Why don't you go downstairs and tell everyone the good news and then send them up?"  
"Okay, mama."  
Before Katie gets out the door Michaela stops her.  
"Katie?"  
"Yes, mama?"  
"Thank you for all your help. You were wonderful."  
"You're welcome." Katie says with a smile on her face.  
She then leaves the room and goes downstairs to find everyone.  
They are still outside. When she gets outside she sees the puppy chasing Isabella while Brian and Maggie are trying to teach the puppy to fetch.  
"Hey! It's a boy!"  
They all stop and look at Katie.  
"We have a boy?" Brian asks.  
"Yes. He is a beautiful boy."  
They all run up the steps and onto the porch as they each take turns hugging Katie.  
"I'm a big sister? I have a baby brother?"  
Katie leans down.  
"Yes, you have a baby brother. Let's go see him."  
Katie grabs Isabella's hand as they go inside and up the stairs.  
Once upstairs they go to Colleen's room and see Michaela on the bed next to Colleen. She's holding the baby and admiring him. She's a proud grandmother.  
"Look who's here." Brian says.  
Michaela and Colleen look over at him. Michaela smiles.  
"Come and see your new nephew, Brian."  
Brian goes over to his mother who stands up and hands him the baby.  
"It's my nephew. I can't believe it."  
Michaela smiles at him.  
"I wanna see my brother!" Isabella exclaims excitedly.  
"Come here, sweetheart." Michaela tells her granddaughter.  
Isabella runs over to Brian.  
"I wanna see him!"  
Brian leans over so she can see him.  
Isabella smiles and kisses his face. The baby reacts by scrunching his face up.  
"Hi, baby. I'm your sister. I will take good care of you."  
The baby just gurgles.  
They all laugh.  
"Would you like to hold him, Maggie?" Katie asks.  
"I'm afraid I'll drop him."  
"You won't drop him, don't worry."  
Katie goes and gets the baby from Brian and brings him over to Maggie. She takes him in her arms and looks at him.  
"He's beautiful."  
"So, Colleen have you decided on a name for the little guy?" Brian asks. Colleen doesn't answer because she has fallen asleep.  
So they decide to take the baby and let her sleep.  
Once they are out of the room Michaela speaks up.  
"I can't wait until Andrew and Sully get home. They are going to love this little guy."  
They all agree as they go downstairs and put the baby in Katie's old cradle. Now they just have to wait until the guys get home or until Colleen wakes up or both.  
What a joyous occasion. A beautiful baby boy.

Chapter 12 coming soon...Andrew sees his son and they decide on a name! Stay tuned!


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Everyone is downstairs fussing over the baby while Colleen is asleep upstairs. They are all waiting for Sully and Andrew to get home from the reservation.  
Katie is carrying him around and admiring him. She is a proud aunt. She finally has a nephew after having had three nieces. She loves the baby so much.  
Michaela had to sit down after helping deliver the baby. She had almost forgotten about her own pregnancy, because of all the excitement over her new grandson. She and Maggie are sitting at the table talking and having some tea.  
Brian is trying to teach the puppy some tricks.  
Since they were all engrossed doing their own thing, they almost didn't hear the front door open.  
They all stop and see who it is.  
It is whom they have been expecting, Sully and Andrew.  
Isabella spots him first.  
"Papa!"  
She runs into him and wraps her arms around him.  
"How's my girl?"  
Isabella looks up at her father.  
"Guess what, Papa! I have a baby brother!"  
Andrew gets a confused look on his face.  
Katie, who is still carrying the baby, approaches Andrew.  
"Congratulations, Andrew, it's a boy." she tells him as she hands him his son.  
Andrew who is in shock looks at the baby for a minute.  
"I-I have a son?"  
Michaela gets up from the table and approaches him.  
"Yes, you have a beautiful boy. Colleen did a wonderful job."  
"I can't believe it, Michaela. My son."  
Michaela smiles at Andrew and nods. She gives him an awkward hug since he is holding the baby.  
"Colleen is upstairs lying down. Why don't we all go see her?"  
Everyone agrees so they head upstairs to Colleen's room.  
Once in there they see that Colleen is still asleep.  
Michaela is the one to say something.  
"Looks like she's still sleeping. I don't think we should wake her."  
"It's okay, Michaela. I know how to get her to wake up." Andrew replies.  
He hands the baby to Michaela and then climbs onto the bed and leans over Colleen.  
"Colleen, honey. Wake up." he whispers to her sleeping form.  
Colleen doesn't wake.  
He then leans over and kisses her on the mouth.  
This causes Colleen to wake up. She opens her eyes and sees her husband.  
She smiles and then reaches up and pulls him into a deep kiss. She's unaware that everyone is standing and watching.  
The baby starts fussing and this breaks them from their kiss.  
"We have a baby boy, Andrew. A son."  
"I know. He's beautiful."  
The proud parents look into each other's eyes and smile at each other as the baby continues fussing.  
Michaela brings the baby over to his parents.  
"I think he wants his mother and father."  
She hands the baby to Andrew.  
The baby calms down for the time being.  
"So have you two thought of a name for him?" Brian asks.  
Colleen smiles.  
"Yes we have, actually."  
"Since it's a boy, we decided on Aiden as his first name. Aiden was my grandfather's name." Andrew replies.  
"The name Aiden means fire." Colleen adds.  
"That's a good strong name. A lot better than Byron." Sully says half jokingly.  
Everyone laughs.  
Colleen speaks up.  
"I got to choose his middle name and it's a name that is very important to me. The name I chose belongs to someone in this room."  
They all start looking at each other wondering what the name could be.  
"What is the name you chose, Colleen?" Katie asks.  
Colleen looks at the baby in Andrew's arms and then back up at her mother.  
"Michael."  
Colleen and Michaela look at each other for a minute then Colleen speaks again.  
"You raised me since I was 13 years old. You encouraged me to be a doctor, just like you. You helped bring both of my beautiful children into the world. I couldn't have asked for a better name for my son."  
"Thank you, Colleen."  
"No. Thank you, Ma."  
Michaela starts to cry as she goes over to the other side of the bed and hugs her daughter.  
Isabella comes over to the bed and looks at her father holding Aiden.  
"So what do you think of the name Aiden Michael, Isabella?" Andrew asks his daughter.  
"I like it."  
"Do you know who you were named after?"  
Isabella shakes her head.  
"You were named after my grandmother, Isabella and your grandmother, Charlotte."  
"I never got to meet Gramma Charlotte, Papa."  
"No, she died when your mother was just 13. From what I have been told, she was a wonderful person, just like your Grandma Michaela."  
"That's right Isabella. You be proud of that name and never forget where it came from."  
"Okay, mommy."  
Baby Aiden begins fussing and Michaela knows that it means he is ready for his first feeding.  
"Alright everyone. It's time to let Andrew and Colleen be alone with the baby for a while. Let's go downstairs so they can spend some time together."  
They all start filing out one by one but before Michaela can step a foot out the door, Andrew stops her.  
"Michaela?"  
"Yes?"  
"I just want to thank you for helping to bring my son into the world. You don't how much it means to Colleen and I."  
"You don't have to thank me, Andrew. It's my grandchild. I was happy to do it. You two just enjoy your son."  
Andrew smiles.  
"We will."  
Michaela smiles back at him and then leaves them alone with the baby.  
Once they are out of the room Andrew hands Aiden to Colleen.  
"Would you like to try to eat, sweetheart?" Colleen asks her son.  
Baby Aiden cries a little and gurgles.  
"I guess that means yes." Andrew answers for his son.  
Colleen pulls down the shoulder of her gown and helps her son find his way so he can eat. Before long, he is latched on and eating away.  
Andrew kisses the top of his little head as he nurses and then looks up at his wife and smiles. She looks up from watching her son and smiles back at her husband. They share a small kiss and just enjoy this time together with their son.  
It is a beautiful scene.

Meanwhile...  
Downstairs everyone is keeping themselves occupied. Katie and Brian decided to engage themselves in a game of checkers since Little Wolf fell asleep in her little bed by the fireplace.  
Maggie sits and watches them play so she can learn herself. Sully is standing outside on the porch, thinking. He is watching the sun set on the horizon. Michaela decides to join him. She comes up to him and wraps her arm around him.  
"What are you thinking about?" she asks.  
"Just how lucky I am. You know that is going to be us in a few months, Michaela. We are going to be holding our baby in our arms, just like Andrew and Colleen."  
"I know."  
"You know after all the bad things that have happened to us over the years, we definitely deserve this happiness."  
"I don't know what I would do if we lost anyone else, or had anything else bad happen to us, Sully."  
"I won't let anything bad happen to us, Michaela. As long as we are together, everything will be alright."  
"You know something? I believe you and I love you."  
"I love you, too."  
After saying this Sully puts his hand on Michaela's stomach where their baby is growing.  
Michaela looks down at what he is doing as she puts her hand over his. She then looks up at her husband. She looks deep into his beautiful blue eyes, the eyes that their daughter inherited. They pull into a sweet, sensual kiss.  
They get lost in each other until their granddaughter interrupts them.  
"Uh oh! Gramma and grampa are kissing!" Isabella says as she giggles.  
Sully and Michaela stop and look at their granddaughter and then laugh.  
"Were you spying on us?" Sully asks his granddaughter playfully and then starts chasing her.  
Isabella starts screaming with joy as she runs away from her grandfather.  
"No grampa!"  
Michaela watches them with a smile on her face. It doesn't get any better than this.

Chapter 13 coming soon...stay tuned!


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

After a very exciting and tiring day, it was time for everyone to start settling down and going to bed.  
Michaela was helping Colleen to clean up, so she got her a bath ready. She wasn't going to have her go to bed after having a baby and not being properly bathed.  
It was still a little hard for Colleen to get around, she was still in a little pain from the birth, so Michaela and Katie had to help her get to the tub.  
While Colleen was getting her bath, Michaela and Katie changed the dirty sheets on the bed. They were filthy from the birth.  
Brian and Maggie were downstairs with Aiden and Isabella, keeping them occupied.  
Katie happened to find some old diapers in the cupboard that her mother used for emergencies so they used them for Aiden. He was a happy camper. He had a full belly and a clean diaper.  
Since the children were being kept occupied and were happy it allowed Michaela and Katie to help Colleen.  
Sully and Andrew were outside making sure the animals were taken care of and that the barn was locked.  
Once they had the sheets changed and the bed properly made; Colleen was done with her bath, and needed help.  
Michaela went over to Colleen who was behind the screen, and helped her get to the bed. She already had her nightgown on and was ready for bed.  
Katie went downstairs to check to see how Brian and Maggie were handling Isabella and Baby Aiden.  
"Do you feel better after your bath, Colleen?"  
Colleen nods.  
"Yes, but I am still very sore. I forgot how much work having a baby is. My legs hurt as well."  
"That's normal. I remember how much pain I was in after having Katie. I didn't think one body could hurt so much."  
Colleen nods and smiles as she lays back on the pillows.  
"I can't believe how tired I am." she says as she stifles a huge yawn.  
Michaela grabs her bag, which is still on the table from earlier and sets it on the bed next to Colleen.  
"I am going to check your heartbeat and take your temperature, just to make sure your body is healing well."  
Colleen nods.  
"Okay, Ma."  
Michaela takes her stethoscope out of her bag and places it on Colleen's chest.  
What she gets in return is a strong heartbeat.  
"Your heart sounds good. Now lets check your temperature."  
Michaela puts her stethoscope back and takes out her thermometer.  
"Open your mouth for me."  
Colleen opens her mouth as Michaela puts the thermometer in her mouth.  
"Is it under your tongue?"  
Colleen nods.  
They wait a few minutes and then Michaela takes it out of her mouth.  
"Your temperature is normal. That is wonderful. No temperature or any complications from the birth. I am glad to see that. You just need to rest and get your strength back."  
"I have no objections to that, I could sleep for a year."  
Michaela laughs.  
"You deserve it, Colleen. You brought a beautiful baby boy into the world. I am so proud of you."  
Colleen smiles at her mother.  
"Thanks, Ma."

Meanwhile...

"Guess what, Izzy. It's time for you to get ready for bed." Katie tells her niece.  
"But I want to spend more time with my brother."  
"You will have all the time in the world to spend with him. It's time for bed."  
Katie holds out her hand for Isabella to grab. Isabella hesitates, not wanting to go and then she grabs Katie's hand. They go upstairs and Katie knocks on the door to make sure that it's okay to go in.  
"Come in!" Michaela tells her daughter.  
Katie opens the door and enters with Isabella.  
"Hi, gramma!" Isabella says as she runs into her grandmother's arms.  
"Hi, sweetheart! Did you miss me that much?"  
Isabella nods against Michaela.  
Katie just stands there, smiling.  
"Gramma? How big is your baby in your tummy?" Isabella asks as she places her hand on Michaela's stomach.  
Michaela is taken aback for a minute. Then she smiles and kneels down to Isabella's level.  
"How big is my baby?"  
"Yeah."  
"It's not very big yet. It's only about the size of a bean."  
"The baby looks like a bean?!" Isabella asks, shocked.  
Michaela and Katie laugh.  
"I guess you could say that."  
Michaela demonstrates with her fingers how big the baby is. She touches her thumb to her index finger to form a circle.  
"The baby is about this big, Isabella."  
"It's little."  
"It is little. But it already has a heartbeat."  
"That little baby in your tummy is going to grow to be as big as my brother?"  
"Yes."  
Isabella smiles.  
"I can't wait until the baby is born."  
"Neither can I, sweetheart."  
With that said, Michaela gives her granddaughter a hug.  
"It's time for bed now. Let Katie help you put your nightgown on."  
"Okay, Gramma."  
They pull out of the hug and Isabella goes over to where Katie is and Katie helps her put her nightgown on.  
Michaela goes over to Colleen and checks on her one more time. She is sleeping soundly, so she covers her up and kisses her forehead.  
"Good night, Colleen."  
Isabella has got her nightgown on and wants to give her mother a kiss goodnight. She walks over to her mother's side of the bed and leans over and kisses her mother on the cheek.  
"Good night, mommy. I love you."  
Isabella walks back over to the cot she is sleeping on as Michaela and Katie tuck her in and kiss her goodnight.  
"Your papa will be up later, so go to sleep now." Katie tells her niece.  
Isabella nods and closes her eyes.  
As they leave the room, Michaela turns the lamp down.  
Katie heads towards her room to get ready for bed.  
"Goodnight, Mama."  
"Goodnight, Katie."  
Michaela gives her daughter a smile and a wave.  
Once Michaela gets downstairs, Sully is making sure everything is closed up and locked for the night.  
Brian is already upstairs in his room and Maggie is already in Katie's room.  
"Are you ready to go upstairs to bed, Sully?"  
"Yes. I'm beat. It's been a long day and I have to get up and go to Loren's in the morning."  
"Why do you have to go to Loren's?"  
"I promised I would help him fix up the place after he gave me a discount on some feed."  
"Oh. I have to go to the clinic tomorrow because Dr. Bernard is going back to Denver for a week. He should be back in time for me to go see him so he can check on the progress of the baby."  
"That's good. We want to keep up on the progress of the baby. You and that baby are the most important thing right now."  
Michaela nods as she places her hand on her stomach.  
After Sully says this, Aiden starts fussing.  
Sully and Michaela go over to him, concerned.  
Andrew goes over to his son.  
"It's alright. I got him."  
"Come on, Michaela. Let's go to bed."  
Michaela looks at her husband and nods as they head upstairs to their room.

In Katie's room...

Katie and Maggie are already tucked into bed and are lying in the semi-dark room.  
"Thanks for sharing your room with me, Katie."  
"You're welcome, Maggie. I am happy to do it."  
"You are so much like your mother, you know that?"  
"That's what everyone tells me."  
"Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?"  
"I don't know. I mean I love helping my mama but I also love the outdoors and animals. I love nature. I am only 12, so I don't have to decide right away."  
"That's true."  
"Did you always want to be a typist at a newspaper?"  
"I have always enjoyed reading and writing. So yes, I guess I have."  
"Do you think you will marry my brother?"  
Maggie silent for a minute, not expecting that question.  
"I don't know. I really like him. I can see myself married to someone like Brian."  
"We would be sisters."  
"Yes we would. I would love to be your sister."  
"It doesn't bother you that I am only 12?"  
"No. You are very smart and mature for your age. When I was told that you were only 12, I was surprised."  
Katie smiles.  
"Really?"  
"Yes. But don't be in a hurry to grow up, Katie. Enjoy your childhood while you still can. You have plenty of time to be an adult. There are times I wish I could go back to being a child."  
There is silence from Katie, which means she has fallen asleep. So Maggie turns on her side and closes her eyes.

In Sully and Michaela's room...

Sully and Michaela are lying in bed. Michaela is wide-awake; Sully is half asleep.  
Michaela all of the sudden can't fall asleep because the realization of her pregnancy has finally hit her. She still can't believe she's pregnant. So many things run through her mind. She is suddenly scared that she is going to lose this baby, too. She can't let that happen, she won't let that happen.  
A few stray tears fall down her cheeks as she holds her stomach thinking of the baby.  
"You are my last chance, little one. I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I can't wait to hold you in my arms and kiss your head. I love you already and you aren't even born yet."  
Sully hears Michaela talking.  
"Did you say something, Michaela?"  
"It's nothing, Sully. Go back to sleep."  
"I love you."  
"I love you too, Sully."  
Sully reaches out his hand and grabs one of Michaela's hands and squeezes it.  
Michaela sighs as she wipes the tears away and then closes her eyes.

It's going to be a long, difficult journey but they will face it together. They are each other's rock and their daughter is their inspiration. There's nothing they can't do as long as they are together.  
That's the power of love.

Chapter 14 coming soon...stay tuned!


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Early the next morning...

Sully and Michaela are still fast asleep. They are both lying on their side. Michaela is curled up against her husband with her arm draped over him with her face buried in the back of his neck. Her other arm is under her cheek. Sully has his arm over Michaela's with his other arm under his head.  
They look so perfect together. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle. It was meant to be.  
A rooster crowing, signaling that it's time to start their day disturbs the perfect picture.  
Sully opens his eyes and lies there for a minute familiarizing himself with his surroundings. He was really tired. Once he familiarizes himself with his surroundings he realizes his wife is curled up against him, still asleep.  
He doesn't want to disturb her, but he has to get up and get ready so he can go to Loren's.  
Sully takes his free hand and reaches down and grabs Michaela's hand.  
He takes it and kisses it.  
"Michaela? It's time to wake up."  
"Hmmm?" Michaela replies.  
Sully readjusts himself so he can face his wife.  
She is still lying there with her eyes closed. He reaches up and caresses her cheek. She looks so beautiful.  
"Michaela? It's time to wake up, honey."  
"Mmm hmm." she replies.  
He just lies there looking at her for a minute. Then he leans forward and plants a kiss on her mouth.  
This causes her to stir. She opens her eyes.  
"Sully?"  
"Good morning, sleepyhead."  
Michaela smiles at her husband.  
"Good morning. Do you have more of that for me?" Michaela asks him mischievously.  
"More of what?" Sully asks, pretending to be clueless.  
"More of this."  
Michaela leans forward and gives him a very passionate kiss that becomes deeper and begins to lead to something much more.  
By this time they have their arms wrapped around each other as they continue to kiss. They are oblivious to everything else around them.  
Things begin to get heated but then Sully gains use of his senses for a minute and stops kissing.  
"Sully, why did you stop?"  
"Is it safe to be doing this? What about the baby?"  
Michaela gives her husband a look of pure love.  
"The baby will be fine. I read in one of my medical books that two people can be intimate during pregnancy and the baby won't be harmed."  
"But you are older and this pregnancy is high risk. I don't want to take any chances of anything happening to the baby."  
"You are a wonderful man, Byron Sully. You are putting your unborn child's needs ahead of your own. No wonder I love you so much."  
"I love you, Michaela. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. I made a vow to never be away from you or Katie ever again like I was during the miscarriage. I will regret that for the rest of my life."  
Michaela reaches up and caresses Sully's cheek with love in her eyes.  
"Sully."  
She then pulls him towards her as they begin kissing again.  
They are so into each other that they don't hear their daughter knocking.  
"Mama? Papa? Are you awake yet?"  
They don't answer.  
Katie tests the doorknob and it's unlocked. She turns the knob slowly and carefully as she enters her parent's room.  
"Mama? Papa?"  
Sully and Michaela stop suddenly and look at their daughter with a look of surprise.  
"Katherine Sully! What are you doing in here?!"  
Michaela asks her daughter as she fixes her nightgown and covers herself up.  
Katie knows she's in trouble when her mother calls her by her full name.  
Sully covers himself up and looks at his daughter with a look of frustration. Her parents aren't happy being interrupted.  
"Well? Are you going to answer me?" Michaela asks her daughter again.  
"Sorry, I just wanted to let you know that breakfast was ready if you wanted any. I didn't mean to disturb you."  
After she says this she turns on her heels, leaves the room and closes the door behind her.  
Sully and Michaela sit there for a minute and look at each other and then laugh.  
Michaela breaks the tension by speaking first.  
"Well, I guess we better go join our daughter and the rest of the family for breakfast."  
"Good idea." Sully agrees.  
They get themselves out of bed and dressed so they can join the family for breakfast.

Later that morning...

Michaela is at the clinic while Katie is at Loren's helping out. Sully is fixing things around the store.  
Andrew and Colleen and Isabella came to town to show off Baby Aiden but Colleen got tired and Aiden needed to be fed and changed. Isabella was being difficult so they decided to go back to the homestead.  
Everyone fell in love with Baby Aiden instantly. Isabella got upset because everyone was giving him all the attention and she was being ignored. She was used to having all the attention. Andrew and Colleen didn't want to be embarrassed by their daughter's behavior so they took her home to discipline her properly.  
Brian and Maggie were spending time at Matthew and Sarah's. They hadn't really got to spend much time together since Brian came to town.

At the mercantile...

"Sully, do you think you could do something else? You're disturbing the customers."  
"What do you want me to do Loren? You asked me to fix things around here."  
"There are some bad spots on the roof. You can fix those."  
"Okay. Do you have a ladder?"  
"Yes, there's one in the shed in back."  
Sully goes to the shed to get the ladder. Once in there he finds a ladder but it's old and rusted. It's all he can find so he decides to use it. He brings it around front and leans it up against the building. He goes inside to get some supplies to fix the roof. He finds what he needs and goes back outside. He sets the ladder up and grabs his supplies. He climbs up the old ladder and gets up on the roof. He starts working hard on what he needs to do.

Back at the clinic...

Michaela is busy looking at one of her medical journals. Business has been kind of slow.  
There is a knock on the door that brings Michaela to reality.  
"Come in."  
It's Dorothy.  
"Hello, Michaela."  
"Hello, Dorothy. What brings you by?"  
"I just wanted to congratulate you personally on your new grandson."  
Michaela smiles.  
"Thank you."  
"He is quite a handsome little fella. Andrew and Colleen must be so happy."  
"Yes they are."  
"I bet you never thought you would be sitting here talking about your grandchildren while expecting a child of your own."  
Michaela laughs.  
"No. I never thought I would. I didn't even think it was possible to get pregnant at my age. Sometimes you just have to expect the unexpected."  
"You're right about that, Michaela."  
Suddenly the air is pierced by an earth-shattering scream.  
Michaela and Dorothy look at each other.  
"What on earth?"  
"That sounds like Katie's scream."  
Michaela and Dorothy start to head out the door to investigate but before they even move, the door bursts open with a frantic, dishevled Katie. She has tears streaming down her face.  
"Mama! It's Papa!"  
"Calm down, Katie. What happened?"  
"Papa was fixing the roof for Mr. Bray and the ladder he used wasn't very strong. He was trying to get down off the roof and he barely stepped onto the ladder and the step broke and he fell!"  
Michaela goes weak in the knees and almost collapses. Dorothy catches her.  
"No, not again." Michaela says under her breath as the tears begin to flow.  
Michaela grabs her bag and heads towards Loren's store with Dorothy and Katie close on her heels.  
Once they get there Michaela is stunned by what she sees. Sully is lying on the ground with one of his arms twisted underneath him, there is blood pooling under his head. For an instant Michaela can't move, she is remembering years ago when Sully almost died from falling off a cliff and she saved his life.  
Michaela is snapped back to reality and gets down on the ground to assess his injuries.  
She listens to his heart and thankfully he still has a heartbeat. It's very weak though. She looks at the injury on his head and it's really bad, he may need stitches. She checks the arm that is twisted under his body and it is severely broken, it is going to take a miracle to fix his arm.  
Michaela stands up and faces everyone.  
"Thank God he is still alive but he is severely hurt. I need someone to help me take him to the clinic so I can treat him properly. I just can't believe this happened. I am going to have to see if he has any internal injuries."  
Jake and Hank volunteer to take Sully to the clinic.  
They pick up his limp body off the ground and carry him all the way to the clinic. Once they get to the clinic, they lay him down on the examining table.  
"Thank you guys for bringing him here."  
"We were happy to help, Dr. Mike. I just hope Sully is going to be okay."  
"So do I, Jake."  
With that said Jake and Hank leave as Katie walks into the clinic with a look of sadness and worry on her face.  
"Mama is Papa going to be okay?"  
"I am going to make sure of it, Katie. Your father is strong. I am going to do everything I can."  
Katie just nods as she looks at her mother. The tears flow from her eyes. She doesn't want to lose her father.  
Michaela holds her daughter close for a minute and comforts her. Then she puts first things first and assesses the injuries inflicted on her husband.  
As she is examining him she says a silent prayer.  
"Dear God, please don't let Sully die. Help me do everything I can to save his life. I can't lose him now. Katie needs her father, our baby needs it's father. Please God I am begging you to spare his life."  
Katie walks over to where her father lies and grabs his hand.  
"Please don't die, Papa." Katie says as the tears flow.

Chapter 15 coming soon...What's going to happen to Sully? Stay tuned and find out!


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Michaela and Katie are sitting upstairs in one of the recovery rooms with Sully. Michaela did everything she could for him. She stitched up the gash on the back of his head. He has a big bandage wrapped around his head. He is going to have one killer headache when he wakes up. She did the best she could at fixing his arm. It was broken in three places. She set it and put a cast on it. She put a sling on it so when he woke up he wouldn't move it.  
She can't tell if he has any other injuries until he wakes up. She just can't believe this has happened. When things are going really good for them, something bad happens. Is it always going to be like this?  
Michaela looks over at her daughter. She has never seen her little girl so sad and worried. Seeing Katie like this causes pain to shoot through Michaela's heart. She can only imagine what Katie is going through after seeing her father like this.  
The silence is broken by Grace and Hope bringing some food for Michaela and Katie.  
"Hi Dr. Mike, Katie. How is Sully?"  
"He still hasn't woken up. For now he's stable. I won't know anything more until he wakes up."  
"I'm sorry, Dr. Mike. I brought you and Katie some lunch. I figured you would need something to keep up your strength."  
"Thanks, Grace. I'm really not that hungry."  
"Dr. Mike, you really need to eat. You need to think about the baby."  
Michaela looks over at Sully.  
"How would Sully feel if he knew you weren't taking care of yourself and the baby?"  
"You're right, Grace. What did you bring?"  
"Some of my famous stew."  
Hope goes over to where Katie is, carrying a tray of stew.  
"My ma and me brought you some stew, Katie."  
"I'm not hungry, Hope." Katie tells her friend without even looking at her.  
"You need to eat for when your pa wakes up."  
"I don't want any."  
Michaela talks to her daughter.  
"Katie, Grace was nice enough to bring this stew all the way over here. The least you could do is eat some."  
"Mama, I don't want any food! Why can't everyone just leave me alone?!"  
Katie yells as she gets up and runs out of the room crying.  
"I'm sorry, Dr. Mike. I didn't mean to upset Katie. I shouldn't have pressured her into eating when she didn't want to."  
"It's alright, Hope. Katie is just very upset about her father's accident. She just needs to be left alone."  
Grace gives Michaela a smile.  
"Why are you looking at me like that for?"  
"Katie is so much like you, it's scary. Her getting up and running out of here is something that you have done before."  
"She** is** my daughter you know."  
"Oh, I wanted to let you know that Robert E. went out to the homestead to get Andrew and Colleen and the kids and then they are all going to Matthew's to get Brian and Maggie."  
"I appreciate it, Grace."  
"You're welcome, Dr. Mike. Now eat some stew or I am going to feed it to you myself."  
Michaela smiles as she picks up the spoon and starts eating.

Meanwhile at Matthew's...

"What do you mean Sully fell Robert E.?" Matthew asks.  
"Sully was working on the roof at Loren's and as he was getting down off the roof, the ladder that he was on broke. It wasn't a very good ladder. I'm afraid Katie saw it happen."  
"How is he doing?" Brian asks.  
"Last I knew Dr. Mike was fixing him up at clinic."  
"Well, we all better get to the clinic and see how he is doing." Matthew replies.  
"We still need to go get Andrew and Colleen at the homestead. They are going to want to know and they need to be there."  
"You're right, Robert E. Let's go."

Meanwhile...

Katie stops running and realizes she has ran all the way to her and her father's favorite spot. This is where they go when they go on their walks together. It is by the lake.  
Katie sits down and has a talk with God.  
"God please don't let my papa die. I don't know what I would do if he died. Mama needs him. He has to be here to see his baby be born. He would want to be here to see his baby. He would want to see me go to college and get married. I love him so much. He can't die." Katie's body becomes racked with sobs as buries her face in her hands.  
A close friend sees her sitting there crying as he approaches her.  
"Don't cry, beautiful child. It will be alright."  
Katie looks up into the face of Cloud Dancing. She stands up and wraps him in a hug as she continues to cry.

Back at the clinic...

Michaela has finished Grace's stew and is now checking Sully's vitals. He is still breathing and his heart is beating strong. This is a good sign. He probably has a concussion from the head injury and that's why he hasn't woken up.  
Grace and Hope have already left to leave Michaela alone with her husband.  
"Ma! Are you here?!" Brian calls.  
"I'm upstairs!"  
They all come upstairs and into the recovery room.  
"How is he Ma?" Brian asks.  
"He's still alive. He has a concussion. We just have to wait for him to wake up."  
"Where is Katie?" Colleen asks while holding her son.  
"She ran off earlier when Grace and Hope were here. She is so upset seeing her father like this."  
"Robert E. told us Katie actually saw him fall off the ladder."  
Michaela looks at Matthew.  
"Oh my God. No wonder she is so upset. We have to find her." Michaela says, becoming frantic.  
"You are staying here, Ma. You need to take care of the baby. We will go look for her." Brian tells his mother.  
"I'm fine. I can help you go look for her. She's my daughter."  
Before anyone else can protest Colleen speaks up.  
"Me and Isabella and Aiden will stay with you, Ma."  
"Thanks, Colleen."  
"I will stay too." Maggie replies.  
Michaela smiles at Maggie and grabs her hand.  
"Let's go." Matthew rounds up Andrew and Brian to go look for Katie.  
Michaela goes back over and sits down by the bed. She grabs Sully's hand.  
"Ma, are you okay?"  
Michaela nods.  
"I just wish he would wake up so we know if he has internal injuries. Why does this keep happening Colleen?"  
"I don't know."  
Aiden begins fussing so Colleen takes him to be fed.  
"Could you watch Isabella for me, Maggie?"  
"Sure."  
"Thanks."  
Maggie nods.  
Maggie sits down in the chair as Isabella comes over and sits down on her lap. She doesn't know what is going on and is scared and confused.  
"Dr. Mike. I am really sorry that your husband got hurt."  
"Thanks, Maggie. I told you to call me Michaela. We might be family someday."  
Maggie nods.  
Suddenly there is a groan coming from the bed. Sully is waking up.  
"Sully?"  
Michaela is so happy.  
"Michaela?"  
Sully opens his eyes slowly as they adjust to the light.  
"What happened?"  
"You fell off a ladder at Loren's."  
"No wonder my head hurts."  
He starts to lift up his arm to rub his head and realizes he can't move it as he gets a shooting pain.  
"OW!"  
"Oh yeah, you broke your arm as well."  
He tries to sit up but he can't.  
"Does your back hurt?"  
"Yes I hurt all over."  
"From what I hear you took a nasty fall off that ladder."  
"Where is Katie?"  
Michaela looks at Sully with a guilty look on her face.  
"She ran off."  
"She ran off? Why?"  
"She saw you fall off the ladder, Sully. She is so terribly upset."  
"I can only imagine what my little girl is going through."  
"Matthew, Brian and Andrew went out to look for her."  
"I hope they find her."  
"There will be no need for that. Look who I found."  
They turn towards the sound of the voice and it's Cloud Dancing with a dirty and disheveled Katie.  
Michaela stands up and runs over to her daughter and wraps her in a hug.  
"Katie! I am so glad you are alright!"  
"I'm sorry I ran away, Mama."  
"It's alright, sweetheart. I'm just glad you're back."  
"Papa! You're awake!"  
Katie pulls away from her mother and runs over to her father and hugs him.  
Sully replies with a painful groan and then hugs his daughter back with his good arm.  
"Thank you for bringing my daughter back, Cloud Dancing." Michaela replies.  
"You do not have to thank me, Michaela. She is just like a daughter to me and I couldn't leave her out there alone and crying."  
Colleen comes back in the room carrying a sleeping Aiden.  
"What's going on?"  
"Sully has woken up and Katie is back."  
Colleen goes over to Sully.  
"I'm happy to see you awake, Pa."  
Katie grabs Aiden from Colleen as she and Sully hug.  
"I love you, Pa."  
Isabella runs over to Katie and puts her arms around her waist.  
"I'm glad you're back, Aunt Katie."  
Katie looks down at Isabella and smiles as she ruffles her blond hair.  
Michaela starts to feel funny so she has to sit down in the nearest chair. This is exactly how she felt before her miscarriage. No! She isn't losing this baby.  
Cloud Dancing notices.  
"Are you alright?"  
Michaela nods trying to cover.  
"Yes. I just need to sit down. It's all this excitement."  
Cloud Dancing gives her a skeptical look.  
"I really am alright." Michaela tries to convince herself.  
"I will get you some water."  
"Thanks, Cloud Dancing."  
Cloud Dancing leaves as Michaela watches her family when suddenly she gets a sharp pain in her side.  
She doubles over in pain, trying to keep from screaming.  
"No, not again! I can't lose this baby." she says under her breath.  
After that everything goes black.

Chapter 16 coming soon...does Michaela lose the baby? Stay tuned and find out!


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Michaela is lying on the bed in another recovery room after fainting.  
There is a wet rag on her forehead.  
She groggily opens her eyes. It takes her a minute to focus and once she fully wakes up, she remembers what happened. Immediately, her thoughts go straight to her unborn baby.  
She puts her hand on her stomach.  
"My baby. I lost my baby."  
She begins to cry as she turns and faces away from the door. She curls up in the fetal position as she continues to cry.  
Katie comes into the room to check on her mother.  
"Mama? Are you awake?"  
Michaela just nods.  
Katie approaches the bed and touches her mother's shoulder.  
"Mama, why are you crying? What's wrong?"  
Michaela looks up at her daughter, her eyes wet with tears.  
"I lost the baby, Katie. I lost another baby."  
Katie leans over and wraps her mother in a hug.  
"Mama, you didn't lose the baby."  
Michaela stops hugging Katie and looks at her.  
"I didn't? What do you mean?"  
"You just fainted. Cloud Dancing went and got Andrew and he examined you. The baby is fine, your body was just tired."  
"I had a really bad pain in my side."  
"You did?"  
Michaela nods.  
"I'll go get Andrew. I'll be right back."  
Katie leaves to go get Andrew as Michaela wipes her tears.  
Andrew comes in followed by Cloud Dancing.  
"You're awake."  
"Yes. What happened to me?"  
"You fainted because you overdid it."  
"What about the pain I had in my side?"  
"You had pain in your side?"  
"Yes. I thought I lost the baby, but Katie told me you examined me and I am still pregnant."  
"Yes you are. You didn't lose the baby."  
"Then what's wrong with me?"  
"Nothing. You're 50 years old and pregnant, Michaela. Your body is adjusting to being pregnant again. It's not unusual for some women, especially older women to experience cramping during pregnancy."  
"False labor pains?" Michaela asks.  
"Yes. But I have to warn you. You are going to need to cut back on your hours at the clinic and rest more. You need to take care of yourself because you are still at risk for miscarriage since you are older."  
"I am going to be more careful from now on. I am just glad I didn't lose the baby."  
"Sully is going to love taking care of you and the baby, Michaela. Katie, too. They want this baby just as much as you and will do whatever it takes to make that happen."  
"You're right about that, Andrew. Thank you for taking care of me."  
"I was happy to do it."  
Cloud Dancing approaches the bed.  
"You were never very good at lying, Michaela."  
"No, I'm not. I'm sorry I scared everyone."  
"I'm just glad you are okay. Sully is asking about you. Would you like to go see him?"  
"You don't have to ask me twice."  
Michaela takes the rag off her head and starts to get out of bed but Andrew stops her.  
"Are you sure you are well enough to get up?"  
"I'm a doctor and I know when I am feeling better. I promise." She looks at Cloud Dancing when she says this.  
"Okay. Come on."  
Cloud Dancing grabs her hand and helps her out of bed as they go see Sully.

Meanwhile...

Katie is sitting by Sully's bed as Michaela, Cloud Dancing and Andrew enter.  
Katie and Sully both watch them come in. Sully reaches out towards his wife.  
"Michaela. How are you doing?"  
"I'm alright, Sully." she tells him as she approaches him and takes his hand.  
"You had us all worried."  
"I'm sorry. I just overdid it. I need to slow down a little bit."  
"Don't worry, Mama. Papa and me will take care of you."  
Michaela looks at her daughter and smiles.  
"You are such a good daughter, Katie. I am so lucky to have you."  
Katie smiles back at her mother.  
"Where is everyone?"  
Andrew answers.  
"They all went home. Colleen needed to go lie down, she's still a little tired from having the baby."  
"I can understand that."  
Katie gets up from where she is sitting and speaks up.  
"Since Mama and Papa are both okay, there is something I need to do before it gets too much later. I will be back in a little while."  
Michaela is curious.  
"Where are you going Katie?"  
"I am going over to Aunt Grace's to apologize to Hope for how I treated her earlier."  
"That is a really nice thing to do, sweetheart."  
"She's my best friend."  
"How about we all meet you over there later for dinner? I can bring your father back some dinner as well."  
"Sounds good, Mama. I will see you later."  
Katie gives her mother a quick hug as she heads out the door to go to Grace's.  
Andrew is next.  
"I am going to go on back to the homestead to see how Colleen and the children are doing. I assume you are staying here with Sully, Michaela?"  
"Yes and I promise I will rest. I will set up one of the cots in here so I can have a decent rest. I just can't leave Sully."  
"I understand. I will see you later then."  
"See you later Andrew."  
Andrew steps out.  
Michaela focuses all of her attention back on her husband.  
Cloud Dancing has made his way over to Sully.  
"Brother, you need to get well. My wedding is next week and you are my best man. I want you well so you can stand up with me."  
"You can count on me Cloud Dancing. You were the best man at my wedding. I won't let you down."  
Sully reaches up with his good arm and shakes hands with his brother.  
"I am going back to the reservation now. I will be back tomorrow to see how you are doing."  
"We will see you tomorrow then."  
"Yes. Goodbye."  
They both wave goodbye to their dear friend and brother. Once he's gone Michaela climbs into the bed with Sully and lies with him for a while.  
"Michaela."  
"Yes?"  
"Have you thought of any names for the baby yet?"  
"To tell you the truth, I haven't had a chance to think of any with everything that's been going on."  
"Now that we've got some time let's think of some."  
"Sounds wonderful."  
With that said they lie there together thinking of names.

At Grace's...

Katie is looking for Hope at Grace's and hasn't been able to find her. She decides to ask Grace if she has seen her.  
"Aunt Grace?"  
Grace turns around and comes face to face with her goddaughter.  
"Katie! What are you doing here? Why ain't you with your pa?"  
"Mama's with him now and he's doing much better. I just came to see Hope. Is she here?"  
"She will be right back. Would you like to have a seat and wait for her?"  
"Sure. Do you happen to have any of your delicious stew left?"  
"I sure do. I'll go make you a bowl. Be right back."  
Grace goes off to make Katie's stew and before long Katie spots Hope coming back to the cafe. She doesn't see Katie at first until she gets closer.  
"Hi, Hope."  
"Hi, Katie. What are you doing here? I thought you would be with your pa."  
"He's doing okay. My mama's with him. I came here to talk to you, if that's okay."  
"I guess. What did you need to talk to me about?"  
"Have a seat."  
Katie points to the chair in front of her.  
Hope sits down in front of Katie and looks at her.  
"I'm sorry about earlier. I was just upset about Papa. I didn't think he was going to pull through. I didn't mean to yell at you. Please forgive me?"  
"I forgive you, Katie. I know you were upset about your pa, I understand. I am just glad he's doing better."  
"So am I."  
"Here's your stew, Miss Katie. Will there be anything else?"  
"No, thanks. This will be fine for now."  
Grace talks to her daughter.  
"I see ya made it back. Did you do what I asked ya to do?"  
"Yes, Ma."  
"Okay. I'll leave you two alone."  
Grace walks away to help other customers while Hope keeps Katie company while she eats.

It appears things are looking up again. Could anything else possibly go wrong? Anything is possible in Colorado Springs...

Chapter 17...coming soon! Stay tuned!


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A few days later during Sunday morning church service...

"Before we conclude today's service, I have an announcement to make. We have a new member joining us today. I want to introduce to the congregation Andrew and Colleen's new son Aiden Michael Cook. Andrew and Colleen could you please come up here and introduce us all to Aiden?"  
Andrew and Colleen come up to the front. Colleen is carrying a sleeping Aiden and Andrew is holding Isabella's hand.  
Colleen greets the congregation.  
"Thank you, Reverend. Hello, everyone. This is our son Aiden Michael. He was born the day we arrived. We are so happy to have him here finally. We named him after Andrew's grandfather and of course my ma. She helped bring him into this world and I felt it appropriate to honor her by naming my son after her."  
Colleen looks at Michaela when she says this. Michaela looks back at her daughter with a smile on her face.  
"We are leaving tomorrow to go back home and wanted everyone to see him before we left." Andrew says.  
Everyone takes turns congratulating Andrew and Colleen as the church service ends and everyone files out.  
They all pile in the wagon and head toward the homestead. They need to get home and get things ready. Cloud Dancing is bringing his fiance Morningstar by to meet everyone and they all want to be there before they get there.  
Matthew, Sarah and the twins are going to be there.  
Katie especially wants to meet Morningstar. She never met Snowbird, Cloud Dancing's first wife who was killed at Washita. Her parents told her all about Snowbird and Walks on Cloud, Cloud Dancing's son with Snowbird. Meeting Snowbird for Katie is exciting and new.  
Once they get to the homestead, Katie jumps out of the wagon to go check on Little Wolf.  
Almost as soon as she opens the door, Little Wolf is there to greet her. She takes her out to use the bathroom and after a few minutes Matthew and Sarah pull up with the twins. Amie and Angela are always happy to see their Aunt Katie.  
Before Matthew can completely stop the wagon, the twins try to get down but Matthew scolds them.  
Once the wagon is stopped Matthew gets down as Sarah hands him the girls and sets them down. Almost before their feet hit the ground, they are running to Katie, anxious to spend time with her and Little Wolf.  
"Aunt Katie, is Isabella going to play with us?" Angela asks.  
"I don't know. Let's go check."  
Katie picks up Little Wolf as she and the twins go in the house where everyone else is.  
Katie spots Andrew talking to Isabella who is sitting and sulking. Apparently the excitement of having a baby brother has worn off for Isabella already.  
Colleen is walking around with Aiden, to keep him from fussing. He has been demanding all of Colleen's time. The more time Colleen spends with Aiden, the less time she spends with Isabella. She isn't getting the attention from her mother that she was getting before and she doesn't like it.  
As much as Andrew loves his new son, and is proud to have a son, you can see the soft spot he has for his blond haired, blue eyed daughter.  
The way he is with her brings a smile to her face.  
Her father was the same way with her at that age. He still has that soft spot for her, but now that she's older he shows her how much he loves her in other ways.  
"Aunt Katie?"  
Angela brings Katie back to reality.  
"It looks like her papa is talking to her right now. Let's not bother her right now, okay."  
On their way back outside Katie sees Brian and Maggie talking. Katie has never seen Brian look at anyone the way he looks at Maggie. He loves her. They will probably be married soon. Katie is happy. She likes Maggie. She smiles as they head back outside to play with Little Wolf.

Meanwhile...

Michaela is happy to see that Sully is doing better as she watches him talk to Matthew. He is up and around and seems to be healing nicely. He still has his arm in a cast and a sling but his head just has a small bandage covering his stitches. Sully was determined to be better before Cloud Dancing's wedding and he is holding true to his word.  
She heads over to the window and looks out. She sees her daughter and granddaughters playing with Little Wolf. A smile crosses her face as she absentminedly places her hand on her still flat stomach.  
Michaela has her good days and her bad days. One day she can be really tired and barely get out of bed, the thought of food has her running to the toilet. The next day she can be full of energy and eat everything in sight. Today happens to be a good day.  
Sarah is being a sweetheart and preparing things in the kitchen for when hte company arrives. Matthew married a wonderful girl. Michaela is amazed by her everyday. She never thought Matthew would find happiness ever again and settle down, but then he met Sarah and that all changed. She stole his heart and they got married and less than a year later, they had the twins. Sarah is a wonderful mother to the girls.  
Michaela is almost seven weeks along now, the baby is getting bigger. Even though she feels fine, she still tries to take it easy. She wants everything to go well with this pregnancy and to have a healthy baby.  
She wants to give Sully the boy he always wanted.  
The sound of laughter breaks Michaela from her thoughts as she turns to the source of the laughter. It's her granddaughter Isabella. Andrew is tickling her and she is laughing, trying to get away from him.  
Isabella has been down about Aiden getting all the attention, and Andrew knows just how to cheer her up. He is a good father.  
"Papa! Please don't tickle me again!" Isabella screams with laughter as she runs away from her father only to get scooped up and tickled hard.  
Michaela laughs, enjoying everything.  
Suddenly Katie runs in carrying Little Wolf with the twins on her heels.  
"Mama! Papa! Cloud Dancing is coming with Morningstar! I saw them coming up the road!"  
Sully stops talking to Matthew and approaches his daughter.  
"Thank you for telling us, Katie. I will go out and greet them. I don't want Morningstar to be scared of us. Cloud Dancing told me that she's very shy."  
"It's alright, Sully. Go ahead." Michaela tells her husband.  
Amie, the shy twin clings onto her grandmother as Angela holds Katie's hand. Little Wolf squirms is Katie's other arm but she doesn't put her down because she doesn't want her getting outside and getting lost. There are too many bad critters in the woods. She won't lose Little Wolf like Brian lost Pup or like her father lost Wolf. They all watch the door waiting for it to open.  
Before long, the door opens and in comes Sully. Behind him is Cloud Dancing holding the hand of the most beautiful Indian woman they have ever seen.  
Cloud Dancing greets everyone.  
"Ha ho. This is Morningstar."  
Morningstar looks at everyone shyly.  
Michaela approaches her slowly.  
"Hello, Morningstar. I'm Michaela. It's nice to finally meet you."  
Morningstar just looks at Michaela.  
Michaela looks at Cloud Dancing.  
"Does she speak English?"  
"I have been teaching her. She knows a little."  
Katie approaches Morningstar next.  
"Hi, I'm Katie. "You are very pretty."  
Morningstar smiles at Katie.  
"You pretty too." Morningstar replies quietly.  
Katie smiles at her.  
"Morningstar made gifts for Michaela, Katie and the baby."  
"You didn't have to do that." Michaela tells Morningstar.  
Morningstar looks at Michaela as she places her hand on her expanding stomach.  
Michaela didn't realize how far along Morningstar was.  
"You baby? Like me?" Morningstar asks.  
Michaela looks confused a minute and then figures out what she was asking.  
"Yes, I am having a baby just like you."  
Morningstar pulls out a beautiful baby blanket and hands it to Michaela.  
"For you baby."  
Michaela grabs it and looks at it.  
"It's beautiful. Thank you."  
Morningstar smiles and nods shyly as she pulls out some beautiful moccasins for Katie.  
"For you."  
Katie takes them and looks at them.  
"Thank you. They are beautiful."

Sully invites them in as they all get to know Morningstar. Morningstar wants Michaela to deliver her baby. Michaela is happy to do it.  
Cloud Dancing couldn't have picked a better woman to marry. There was never really any doubt.

Chapter 18 coming soon...We learn more about Morningstar as we say goodbye to Andrew and Colleen and get ready for the wedding! Stay tuned!


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 21

Everyone finished their lunch as Sarah and Katie cleaned up afterwards. Michaela took Morningstar outside to sit down on the porch to rest. The baby was kicking her like crazy. Andrew and Colleen decided to take Aiden out as well since Isabella and the twins were already out there playing with Little Wolf.

The girls love Katie's puppy. She is the sweetest and smartest little puppy.

Michaela goes back inside as she sees Sully, Cloud Dancing and Matthew sitting in front of the fire talking. She smiles. She goes to see if Sarah and Katie need any help cleaning up. It looks like they have everything under control but she decides to ask anyway.

"How is it going in here? Do you need any help?"

Katie looks up from what she is doing and looks at her mother. We have it under control Mama. Why don't you sit down and rest. You need to think of the baby."

"If you are sure you have it under control."

Sarah is the one to answer this time.

"Michaela, listen to your daughter. We are doing fine in here. Go and rest. Please."

"Okay. I will go and rest." She puts her arms up in defeat.  
Michaela starts to leave and then she realizes she can't find Brian or Maggie.

"Has anyone seen Brian or Maggie since lunch?"

Sully speaks up.

"I think I heard them say they were going for a walk or somethin'."

"Oh."

Michaela goes outside to join the others on the porch.

Meanwhile…

"Are you sure it's okay that we are doing this, Brian?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I used to do this all the time when I was younger."

"You just go off by yourself and not tell anyone where you were going?"  
"Yes. Sometimes I just needed to be alone to think."  
"Your mother didn't worry about you?"

"Of course she did. She worried about me all the time, more so after I jumped out of a tree and had a brain injury. She always worried that I would hurt myself again."

"You jumped out of a tree?"

"Yes. I was just a kid when it happened. Sully and me were exploring and talking and I climbed up in the tree. I told Sully I was going to fly like a bird and I jumped and landed on my head. At first, I seemed fine but then I started getting really bad headaches and then I went blind. My ma had to perform surgery on me, a procedure she had never done before. It was successful and I was able to see again. From then on, she has never stopped worrying about me."

"I can see why."

Brian stops walking and faces Maggie.

"There was a reason I brought you out here, Maggie."

"I thought so because we usually go for a ride on your horse. We have never just gone for a walk."

Brian grabs Maggie's hand and kisses it.

"Maggie, you are the first girl that I have ever had any real feelings for. I truly love being with you. You are easy to talk to and are a wonderful person to be around. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever known, besides my ma, and I want to be with you all the time."

Maggie looks at Brian.

"What are you trying to tell me, Brian?"

Brian continues to hold Maggie's hand as he gets down on one knee.

"Maggie Taylor, will you marry me?"

Tears well up in her eyes as she smiles at Brian. She is speechless for a minute but it seems like an eternity.

"Yes Brian, I will marry you. I want more than anything to be your wife."

Brian smiles at Maggie as he reaches over and takes a small box out of his pocket. He opens it and reveals the most beautiful ring Maggie has ever seen.

Her hand goes up to her face.

"Brian, it is beautiful!"

"Its beauty doesn't compare to yours."

Maggie smiles as he places the ring on her finger and kisses her fingers.

"You have made me the happiest person on the face of the earth, Brian Cooper. I love you."

"You make me happy too, Maggie. I love you more than you will ever know."

They stare at each other, Brian still on one knee on the ground. Maggie helps Brian stand up and in doing so his face gets closer and closer to hers until finally their lips touch. Electricity flows through their bodies as they kiss. Brian's arms go around her waist as Maggie's arms go around his neck as the kiss gets deeper. This is how they stay for awhile until they break out of the kiss, both breathless and flushed. Finally they head back towards the homestead. What news they have for everyone when they get back.

Meanwhile back at the homestead…

Sully, Matthew and Cloud Dancing finally decided to join everyone else outside. By this time Sarah and Katie have finished cleaning up and have joined everyone else.

Cloud Dancing has joined Morningstar and has his hand on her belly as he talks to her in Cheyenne. You can see the love and concern he has for her and his unborn baby. Morningstar looks at him with adoration as she smiles and nods as he talks to her.

Matthew has his arm around Sarah's shoulders while Sarah has Matthew in a tight embrace as she leans against his shoulder. Matthew talks to Andrew, Colleen and Sully.

Michaela never thought that Matthew would ever find happiness again. After he lost Ingrid, he was never the same. Ingrid was the love of his life and he would never love anyone else. That was until Sarah came along. He met her and she stole his heart. It was love at first sight. Sarah had some of the same qualities that Ingrid had. Matthew never wanted to compare Sarah to Ingrid because they are two completely different people but Sarah was a lot like Ingrid in many ways.

Sarah was living in Denver when Matthew went there for a law seminar. Sarah was a secretary in the building where the law seminar was being held.

Sarah lost her parents and had been taking care of her brother and sister for awhile. When Matthew and Sarah got engaged her brother and sister went to go live with their aunt and uncle in Denver. Matthew wanted them to stay with them but Sarah decided it was best for them to stay in Denver. Matthew and Sarah visit them all the time and they come to Colorado Springs often to see everyone.

Matthew and Sarah got married and less than a year later, they had the twins. Sarah is a wonderful wife to Matthew and a great mother to the girls.

Matthew loves his daughters; he is a proud father and is so good with them. Michaela is just so happy that Matthew found someone as wonderful as Sarah.

They will probably be expecting another baby soon. Sarah had told Michaela many times how much she wants another baby. She wants to give the twins a baby brother and Matthew a son. They have been trying but with no luck yet.

Andrew and Colleen got their boy, now it's time for them to have their boy. Michaela and Sully are having another baby as well. Katie is getting a sibling. The twins don't want to be left out.

Everyone is having a grand time talking and laughing. The kids are having fun. Katie finally joined her nieces who were playing with Little Wolf.

Brian and Maggie finally made it back to the homestead and saw everyone and knew this was as good a time as any to tell them the news.

"Hello all."

They all turn to the sound of Brian's voice and see him holding Maggie's hand. They are surprised because they hadn't really seen him showing any physical contact with her except maybe to kiss her cheek or touch her shoulder.

They notice that everyone is looking and quickly pull their hands apart and in doing so the sunlight catches the stone in Maggie's ring. Michaela notices it and gives both Brian and Maggie a smile as she gets up and approaches them.

Maggie gives Michaela a confused look. Brian knows what the look means, he's seen it before.

Michaela first gives Brian a hug and holds him for a minute then she gives Maggie a hug. She squeezes Maggie so tight that she can't breathe. Brian notices.

"Ma, Maggie can't breathe."

Michaela lets go.

"Sorry, it's just I am so happy."

"What are you happy about?" Sully asks.

She grabs Maggie's hand and holds it up as the sun catches the stone in her ring.

"Brian and Maggie are engaged."

Colleen screams as she hands Aiden to Andrew and runs over to Brian and Maggie.

She gives them both hugs and congratulates them.

"My baby brother is getting married! I can't believe it! I am so happy for you both."

"Thanks, Colleen." Maggie says with a smile.

Katie hears the commotion and goes to investigate.  
"What's going on?" she asks.

"Brian and Maggie are getting married." Michaela tells her daughter.

Katie gives her mother a surprised look and then smiles.

She goes over to her brother and gives him a hug and then hugs Maggie.

"I knew you two would get married. I am so happy for you."

"Thanks, Katie." Maggie tells her with a smile.

"We wanted to surprise everyone but ma beat us to it."

"I'm sorry, Brian. I am just happy for you."

"So am I. Our Brian is getting married. You really are a grown man now. I am so proud of you."

"Thanks, Sully. I mean Pa."

Sully grabs Brian and pulls him into a hug with his good arm.

"You and I need to talk, little brother. Now that you are getting married, there are a few things you need to know." Matthew tells his brother matter of factly.

"I can't wait for you to tell me." Brian says with a smile on his face, only half serious.

Matthew pretends to punch him in the stomach as he grabs him and hugs him as they laugh.

Michaela and Sully are so happy that their son is getting married. Maggie is a wonderful girl. He couldn't have picked a better girl to marry.

Unfortunately they have to say goodbye to their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. It's going to be hard to say goodbye, especially to their new grandson. He is quite a little charmer.

Also, Cloud Dancing is getting married tomorrow and Brian is going to be in the wedding. He and Maggie aren't going back to Denver for another week.

Katie is happy to have her big brother around for awhile, it will make it easier since she has to say goodbye to her big sister and her niece who looks up to her.

Sully has to go lie down, his arm is killing him. He still gets headaches around where he has his stitches. Michaela goes with him so she can get him some painkillers from her bag. She hates seeing Sully in pain.

"I will be right back. Sully is in pain and he needs some painkillers. Excuse us."

Michaela and Sully go into the house as Sully heads upstairs. Michaela grabs her bag and follows him.

He gets to his bedroom and lies down as Michaela gives him a shot right in his broken arm.

"It should start kicking in soon and you won't feel anymore pain."

"Thank you. You take such good care of me."

Sully reaches up for a kiss from his wife. She kisses him back as she feels a fluttering in her stomach.

It takes her aback for a minute as she places her hand on her stomach.

"I felt the baby move, Sully."

"Isn't it too soon?"

"I don't know. This didn't happen with Katie. It was a flutter; it felt strange but wonderful at the same time. I wasn't expecting it because the baby isn't that big."

"I'm sure everything is alright."

"I think the baby is letting me know it's there."

Sully puts his hand on her stomach.

"We know you're there, little one and we couldn't be happier."

Michaela feels a flutter again.

"The baby moved again, Sully."

"It did?"

Michaela nods with a smile on her face.

"Yes, it's the most amazing feeling in the world. I can't wait for you to feel it too."

"It will happen all in good time."

Michaela pulls out her stethoscope and places it on her stomach to see if she can hear the heartbeat.

She moves the stethoscope around until she hears a faint heartbeat. She can barely hear it, but it's there.

She gives the stethoscope to Sully so he can listen.

"Can you hear it?"

"I'm not sure."

"It's very faint because the baby is still very small. Listen very carefully."

She moves it just slightly as Sully grabs her hand.

"Wait, I think I hear it."

Sure enough he hears a very faint heartbeat. It doesn't sound like a heartbeat but more like a tapping sound.

Sully just listens, fascinated.

They forget everything else as they listen to their baby.

What they don't know is that their daughter is watching and listening and isn't too happy. She isn't happy because this is the most attention that they have given the baby since they found out they were pregnant. It's becoming more real to Katie; this is just the beginning of her jealousy.

Chapter 22 coming soon…Stay tuned to find out what happens…what lengths will Katie go to get more attention because of her jealousy towards the baby? Only time will tell…and goodbye Andrew, Colleen, Isabella and Aiden…


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next morning…

"Isabella Charlotte Cook! Where are you hiding young lady?! Andrew yells through the house looking for his daughter.  
She doesn't want to leave so she hid somewhere in the house. Everyone has been looking for her for half an hour.  
"Where could she have gone? There are not a lot of places to hide in this house." Michaela says to herself while looking for her granddaughter.  
Sully went to look for her outside to see if she hid in the barn or somewhere outside.  
"Katie? Have you had any luck finding her upstairs?" Colleen asks.  
"No, Colleen. I looked under all the beds, in all the wardrobes and she's not anywhere to be found."  
"We have to find her. We have to find my daughter." Colleen starts to cry.  
Michaela goes over to Colleen and comforts her.  
"We will find her, sweetheart. She couldn't have gone far."

Meanwhile out in the barn…

"Isabella? Are you in here? It's grandpa."  
Suddenly Sully hears humming. He goes over to where the humming is coming from. He sees Isabella brushing Taffy.  
She stops humming and begins talking.  
"Maybe if I help out around here granpa and gramma will let me stay. Mommy and papa can go home and take Aiden with them. They don't need me now. They have Aiden. I wanna stay here with Aunt Katie and Aimie and Angela. Would you like it if I stayed Taffy?"  
Taffy knickers and moves her head.  
Isabella smiles as she hugs Taffy.  
"Thank you, Taffy."  
Watching the display before him brings tears to Sully's eyes. He sees his granddaughter like this and it reminds him of Colleen when she was little. She is exactly like her mother. She is the spitting image of Colleen.  
He decides to leave Isabella alone for awhile so he heads back towards the house. Once there Michaela approaches him.  
"Did you find Isabella?"  
"Yes, she's in the barn with Taffy. She needs time alone. I didn't wanna disturb her."  
Michaela breathes a sigh of relief.  
"Thank God, I'm glad she's alright."  
"Sully, is my daughter okay?"  
"Yes, she's fine, Colleen. She's in the barn with Taffy. She needs to be alone."  
"Thanks, Pa."  
Colleen gives Sully a hug.  
"Colleen, honey we need to finish packing. Our train will be here in an hour and we need to be ready."  
"You're right Andrew. I will be right there."  
Andrew nods and smiles as he heads up the stairs to finish packing.  
Katie is sitting on the floor by the fireplace playing with Little Wolf. She has already taught her how to sit.  
Aiden woke up and started fussing so Michaela picked him up and carried him around. There is so much going on that nobody realized that Brian and Maggie were nowhere to be found.  
Sully is the one to discover that they are missing.  
"Has anyone seen Brian and Maggie?"  
Katie looks up from what she is doing and answers her father.  
"I haven't seen them since breakfast Papa."  
"What could they be up to?" Michaela wonders.  
Sully approaches Michaela and whispers in her ear.  
"They're newly engaged, Michaela. What do you think they're up to?"  
Her eyes get as big as saucers as she lays Aiden in the cradle and starts looking for Brian and Maggie.  
"Brian! Maggie!"  
She starts to get frantic.  
Aiden senses the tension in the air and begins to wail.  
"Brian! Maggie!"  
Katie gets up from what she is doing and picks up Aiden to calm him down.  
"I'll watch Aiden, papa if you want to look for them."  
"Thanks, Katie."  
He tries to calm Michaela down.  
"Michaela, you need to calm down. You need to avoid stress as much as possible. Go and sit down and I will look for them."  
"Sully, our son is doing God knows what, God knows where and you want me to calm down?"  
"Think about our unborn child, besides Brian's a grown man now."  
Michaela sits down because she starts to feel dizzy.  
"I think I'm going to be sick."  
"I told you to take it easy. Now just stay there and I will look for Brian and Maggie, Katie can you look after your ma why I look for your brother and Maggie?"  
"I'm taking care of Aiden, papa while Andrew and Colleen pack. She will be fine if she just takes it easy."  
"Katherine Sully, is there something bothering you?" Michaela asks her daughter.  
Katie looks at her mother.  
"No mama, nothing is bothering me. Why do you ask?"  
"I am asking because I don't like your tone and I don't think your father does either."  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to use a tone with papa. I will look after you, mama while papa looks for Brian and Maggie."  
"Thank you Katie. I will be right back."  
Sully goes off to look for Brian and Maggie.  
Andrew and Colleen come down the stairs with their arms full of suitcases.  
"Where is everyone?" Andrew asks.  
"Papa went to go find Brian and Maggie and Isabella is still out in the barn."  
Colleen sets the armful of luggage down and walks over to Katie who is holding Aiden.  
"How was Aiden while we were upstairs?"  
"He got a little fussy but he's fine now. He's a very good baby Colleen."  
"I know he's my sweet little man."  
Katie continues to hold Aiden while Andrew and Colleen start to load up the wagon with suitcases.

Meanwhile…

Sully is looking around for Brian and Maggie as Isabella sees him and approaches him.  
"Grampa, what are you doing?"  
Sully turns around to the sound of his granddaughter's voice.  
"I'm looking for Brian and Maggie, have you seen them?"  
"Yes, they are in the barn." Isabella says as she points towards the barn.  
"I was in there earlier looking for you and I didn't see them."  
"I dunno, granpa. But they're in there now. I think I heard them say they were going for a ride on Taffy."  
"Okay, thanks."  
"You're welcome, granpa." Isabella says with a grin.  
Isabella runs off towards the house as Sully heads for the barn.  
Before he even gets to the door, he can hear Maggie giggling.  
"Brian, stop it!"  
Sully peeks through the crack in the door and sees Brian chasing after Maggie and once he catches her he pulls her close to him and kisses her. Her face is flushed. She kisses him back as they both fall down into a pile of fresh hay. They continue to kiss as they roll around in the hay. They begin to get heated up and almost lose control until Sully walks in and stops them.  
"There you two are, we have all been looking for ya and wondering where ya were."  
They stop what they are doing and look up shocked.  
"Sully!" Brian exclaims as he stands and then helps Maggie up.  
"We were just getting ready to go for a ride on Taffy."  
Sully gets a smile on his face, trying not to laugh.  
"I can see that, but it's too late for that. We are getting ready to go to town so we can see your sister and Andrew off. We would like you to join us."  
"Sure, Sully. We will be right there."  
Sully nods with a smile on his face as he heads back towards the house. Brian and Maggie look at each other and smile as they head back towards the house themselves.  
Once there they see that Andrew and Colleen are trying to get the suitcases loaded onto the wagon. Brian takes over for Colleen so she can nurse Aiden before they head into town.  
Isabella is inside clinging to Michaela. She doesn't want to leave.  
Once Colleen comes in and relieves Katie of Aiden, Katie goes to see what she can do to help.  
Maggie sits with Michaela and Isabella and Michaela notices the hay in Maggie's hair as she pulls it out.  
"You have hay in your hair."  
Maggie gets embarrassed.  
"Thank you."  
"You and Brian were in the barn, weren't you?"  
Maggie nods knowing she's guilty of almost being caught doing something she shouldn't have.  
"I know that you and Brian are adults and are engaged but I want you to be careful. I don't want you two doing something that you aren't ready for."  
"I love Brian. When I first came here with him, I cared about him but now it's so much more. It's amazing and wonderful the way I feel. It's all happening so fast, the feelings I'm having for him. He is a wonderful person. I know he is a couple of years older than me but I also know he won't force me to do something I'm not ready for."  
"I know. We raised Brian to be a gentleman."  
"He is very much a gentleman. That is one of the reasons I fell in love with him. He and I are going to be happy together."  
"I know you will be. I want you to know that I'm not trying to be a nagging mother in law, I just care about you very much and don't want you to get hurt."  
"I appreciate that, Michaela. Thank you."  
"Sure."  
She gives Maggie a hug.  
"I am proud to be getting you for a daughter in law."  
Maggie nods and smiles as they pull out of the hug.  
"Gramma, can I stay here with you, grampa and Aunt Katie?"  
"May you?"  
"May I what, gramma?"  
"No, what I meant is you asked me if you can stay here, you should have asked me if you may stay here."  
"Huh?" Isabella gives her grandmother a confused look.  
"Never mind. To answer your question, no you can't stay here. Your parents would miss you too much."  
Isabella crosses her arms across her chest.  
"No they won't."  
"Why do you say that, sweetheart?"  
"They have Aiden now, they don't need me."  
"Of course they do. Who is going to help your mother with Aiden?"  
Isabella shrugs.  
"I dunno."  
"You are. What makes you think they don't need you?"  
"Ever since mommy had Aiden, she doesn't spend time with me anymore. She's always with him, he always needs her."  
"That's because he's still very small. Once he gets bigger, he won't need as much of your mother's time. You want to know something?"  
"What?"  
"When we couldn't find you earlier, your mother was very sad and worried about you. She was scared we wouldn't be able to find you. How do you think she would feel if you didn't go home with her?"  
"She would be sad and would miss me a whole bunch?"  
"You bet."  
"You know what gramma?"  
"What?"  
"I'm gonna miss you and granpa and Aunt Katie. I am even gonna miss Uncle Matthew, Aunt Sarah and Aimie and Angela."  
"We're gonna miss you too, sweetheart."  
"I'm even gonna miss Little Wolf and Taffy. Taffy is such a nice horse and Little Wolf is a nice puppy."  
"They will miss you too."  
"I love you gramma."  
"I love you too, Isabella."  
Isabella wraps her grandmother in a huge hug as tears well up in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.  
Maggie just sits and watches with a smile on her face. It makes her happy to see how close the family is. She can't wait to officially be part of the family.

A little while later…

"I promise I will write every week and keep you updated on Isabella and Aiden." Colleen tells her mother.  
"I will look forward to all your letters, Colleen. I will write you too and keep you updated on the progress of the baby."  
"I am looking forward to it. I want to know everything about my baby brother or sister."  
"Oh, I'm going to miss you all terribly." Michaela says as she kisses her grandson's cheek.  
"We're gonna miss you too, ma."  
Colleen hugs her mother and then hugs and says goodbye to everyone else.  
"Katie, you take good care of ma and our baby brother or sister."  
Katie answers with some reluctance.  
"I will, Colleen, I'm going to miss you."  
"You are going to be a great big sister."  
Katie rolls her eyes.  
"I know, I know."  
"Brian you take good care of Maggie. You let us know when the wedding is so we can be there. I love you."  
"I love you too, Colleen and don't worry we will write you and let you know when the wedding will be. We don't want you to miss it."  
The train gives a loud whistle, letting everyone know that it's time to go.  
"Come on, Colleen. It's time to go." Andrew yells from the train.  
Isabella yells goodbye to everyone as she gets on the train, and Colleen is not far behind holding her daughter's hand. Once on the train Isabella jumps into her father's arms. They barely make it on as the train begins to pull away.  
Everyone waves at Andrew, Colleen and Isabella as they wave back. Colleen even holds Aiden up so everyone can see him as she takes his little hand and waves it at everyone.  
Sully puts his good arm around Michaela as she lies against him. Michaela places a hand on Katie's shoulder as they all watch the train depart until it's out of sight.  
Andrew, Colleen, Isabella and Aiden are going to be greatly missed.

Chapter 20 coming soon…guess what?! It's a wedding! Stay tuned…


	21. Chapter 20

I don't know how accurate this is in the way of a Cheyenne wedding. I was just trying to figure out the language. If anything is inaccurate please let me know and I will gladly change it. Any feedback is welcome!

Chapter 20

Everyone is at the reservation getting ready for the wedding. Michaela, Sarah and Katie are wearing three beautiful handmade Indian wedding attendant gowns.

Aimie and Angela are the flower girls and are wearing miniature versions of the same gowns. They look adorable.

Sully, Matthew and Brian are wearing authentic Indian wedding shirts.

Morningstar looks even more beautiful in her authentic Indian wedding gown. It was her mother's. She even has a crown of flowers to wear in her hair. She is glowing. She did some alterations to it so it would fit over her swollen belly. She is so happy to be marrying Cloud Dancing.

It truly is a bittersweet occasion since Morningstar's parents couldn't be there. Both of her parents were lost in a massacre, similar to Washita. Luckily for Morningstar, she wasn't there when it happened. She went back to the reservation to find her parents massacred. That's how she met Cloud Dancing. She gathered all of the things that weren't taken by the murderers, her mother's wedding gown being one of them.

When Cloud Dancing found her, he has said that something was calling him there. He was on one of his vision quests and had a calling to come there. He was to meet Morningstar. She was his second chance at love. He lost Snowbird to Washita, and Morningstar lost her parents in a massacre. It was fate.

Morningstar was so torn up about her parent's deaths, and Cloud Dancing was there to comfort her.

Both of them needing each other, since his relationship with Dorothy didn't work out, one thing led to another and that's when they conceived their baby. Their baby was conceived out of love. Once Cloud Dancing discovered Morningstar was pregnant, he knew he had to make things right and marry her.

It took longer than he had planned, Morningstar being 6 months along already but he wanted everything to be just right. The timing and everything was off but things finally fell into place for them to marry. Morningstar would have been happy just being with Cloud Dancing and having his baby but Cloud Dancing is a gentleman and wanted them to be properly married and for their baby to be legitimate.

Here is where they find themselves today.

Cloud Dancing knows he couldn't have made it this far without Sully and his family. If it wasn't for them, he wouldn't even be here today. He thanks them for his life and family.

Maggie and Katie picked some beautiful flowers for the bouquets they will all be carrying. They even found some flowers to put in their hair. Since Maggie wasn't in the wedding, she wanted to do something to help.

Michaela and Sarah had to get themselves and Morningstar and the twins ready. Michaela really didn't need to do all that bending over anyway.

Cloud Dancing decided he wanted the wedding to be an intimate occasion, so he only invited Sully and his family to be in the wedding. The only guest is Brian's fiancée, Maggie.

Since everyone in Cloud Dancing and Morningstar's family were dead, there wasn't anyone else to invite to the wedding. They could have invited some of the other Indians from the reservation but they weren't all Cheyenne. Cheyenne Indians conduct their ceremonies differently than other tribes and the other tribes wouldn't understand what was going on. It was better this way anyway. The most important people in Cloud Dancing's life were witnessing his marriage and that's all that mattered.

Not enough people knew Morning star and Cloud Dancing wasn't really close with anyone else in town besides Dorothy and more than likely Michaela would tell Dorothy all about the wedding so she could print it in the Gazette.

It is definitely something everyone will be talking about for some time to come.

A little while later…

The wedding party is all lined up as the wedding begins. Since it is a Cheyenne wedding, it's performed a little differently than what they are used to.

Nobody there knows what to expect so they just do what they are told to do. They just want the wedding to be beautiful and for everything to turn out alright.

The Indian chief stands waiting as Michaela walks up first, then Sarah, then Katie.

Brian stands at the front waiting as he plays his flute as Morningstar walks up to join her waiting beau.

Once she gets there the Indian chief begins to speak.

"va'ôhtama"

(Welcome!)

"tsé'tóhe hetane nee he'e vovéstoem nonó'ka'e néta'e tónêše-éšeeve."

(This man and woman marry one another today.)

Cloud Dancing and Morningstar face one another and grab hands. They smile at each other with love and admiration in their eyes.

"ma'heóneva mâxa'ósané tsé'tóhe hetane nee he'e."

(God bless this man and woman.)

The Indian chief then looks at Cloud Dancing.

"tšêhešévé mo tsêhe'ôhtseh tsé'tóhe mâsêháá'e hé-éve nêškéstoto pêhéve'évá?"

(Do you take this woman to be your wife?)

"haáahe."

(Yes.)

The Indian chief then looks at Morningstar.

"tšêhešévé mo tsêhe'ôhtseh tsé'tóhe hetanévôhtâhénestôtse hé-éve nêškéstoto nóhta'háohtsé?"

(Do you take this man to be your husband?)

"haáahe."

(Yes.)

"tó sá'-hávêsévo'ót mo nóhta'háohtsé naa pêhéve'évá. Mo tomôsetohko vôsémohtá sá'-.

(I declare you husband and wife. You can kiss now.)

Taking their cue, they pull in for a sweet, sensual, slow kiss as everyone cheers.

Once they finish kissing they grab hands and walk down as everyone in the wedding party follows.

They have a table set up with food as everyone eats and once they eat the Indian chief plays a drum and Brian plays the flute as Cloud Dancing and Morningstar share a traditional Indian wedding dance. Eventually Sully and Michaela and Matthew and Sarah join them. Maggie and Katie help the twins dance.

They are all having a good time.

The party goes on well into the early evening. Michaela begins to feel tired and Morningstar needs to rest. Her back is hurting her and the baby is kicking a lot. They decide to pack it in and go home. The twins fell asleep in one of the teepees. It really was a beautiful wedding a wonderful day.

It helped the family forget about missing Andrew, Colleen, Isabella and Aiden for a few hours.

Sully and Michaela are happy that Cloud Dancing and Morningstar finally got married. Now they can have their baby with no worries. The baby will be born into a happy, loving home.

Once Sully and Michaela get home the wonderful feeling turns into a dark cloud, at least for Michaela.

Chapter 21 coming soon…what's wrong with Michaela? Stay tuned and find out!


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

A little while later...

Sully, Michaela, Brian, Maggie and Katie are all back at the homestead after the wedding. Katie is still a burst of energy, she just loves weddings and this wedding made her so happy.  
Now that they are back at the homestead Michaela is quiet. She is going back to missing Colleen and her grandchildren like crazy. She has been in Colleen's old room since she's been home, staring at the pictures on the dresser. It's very hard for a mother to say goodbye to one of her children, especially one that she doesn't get to see very often. Michaela has her hankie clutched in her hand as she looks at the pictures. She can't keep from crying. There is also something else bothering her, she just can't put her finger on it. She has a feeling like something bad is about to happen.  
Brian and Maggie are playing chess. Maggie doesn't know how to play checkers yet, but she is a pro at chess and taught Brian how to play. Brian is getting the pants beat off him by Maggie.  
Katie is sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace playing with Little Wolf.  
Sully has gone out to make sure the horses are taken care of and to double check to make sure everything is put away for the night. Once he is done with that he comes in to check on Michaela. He is worried about her since she has been so sad and quiet since they got home from the wedding.  
Once he gets upstairs and into Colleen's old room, he sees Michaela sitting on the bed holding a picture of Andrew, Colleen and Isabella and crying. He comes in and sits down next to her.  
"Michaela?"  
She looks up at her husband, her eyes wet with tears.  
"I miss them so much, Sully. Now that they're gone, I realize how much."  
"I know, I miss 'em too."  
Sully puts his arm around his wife's shoulder as she leans into him still clutching the picture.  
Now that Michaela's pregnant, she is more emotional than usual. Normally, she wouldn't be this emotional but when you're pregnant, your hormones have a mind of their own.  
Sully continues to hold Michaela as she cries.

Meanwhile...

"Brian Cooper! You can't do that, it's cheating!"  
"Kissing you is cheating?"  
"You are trying to distract me so you can make a move, but it's not going to work!"  
Katie watches them and smiles. She is happy to see her brother in love and happy. She always looked up to her brother ever since she was little. He has taught her so much. How to fish, how to play checkers, how to ride a horse, and how to play the piano. Everyone should have a big brother like Brian.  
She has missed all the time she used to spend with Brian before he moved to Denver. They used to have so much fun together. Brian never got tired of Katie tagging along even though she was so much younger than him. It felt good to be wanted and accepted right from the start. Katie loves her life and wouldn't change it. Her only problem, her parents decided to go and have another baby. She admits she was happy about it at first, until she realized that once the baby gets here; her parents will be too busy to pay Katie much mind. She won't be getting the attention she was getting before after being an only child for a few years. She saw what happened to Isabella after Aiden arrived. She is 12 years old now, and shouldn't be having these kinds of feelings about a new baby, but she is. She can't help it. Katie has always been the focus of her parents' attention. She is the child they always wanted and they proved it to her for 12 years. Now the new baby is going to be the one to get all the attention and focus. This could be the boy that her papa has always wanted. Not that Sully wasn't happy having a girl, she was the apple of her papa's eye but there is something about a father and his son. That realization has hit Katie like a ton of bricks. She is going to do everything possible to keep her parents attention on her as much as possible. She was here first, she shouldn't have to share her parents with anyone; not even a new baby.  
Katie is a good girl but sometimes jealousy makes you do things you would never normally do.  
Katie is going to test her parents' patience to the limits. It is going to be one interesting ride.  
Brian and Maggie finished up their game of chess and decided to go sit on the porch and enjoy the pleasant evening. They just like being in each others' company.  
Upstairs, Sully and Michaela are now in their room looking at old photographs in a photo album and remembering the stories behind each one of them. Some of them happy, some sad. Without them, they wouldn't be who they are and where they are today. Those memories shaped their life and made them stronger.  
There is a picture of Cloud Dancing with Snowbird. Seeing Snowbird brings tears to Michaela's eyes. She was a beautiful person inside and out. She is just happy that Cloud Dancing found happiness again after so much tragedy. If it wasn't for Sully, she never would have met Snowbird. She proved that there was goodness in everyone. Michaela has passed that on to Katie.  
Weddings make people so sentimental. Thank God for the memories.

Later that evening...

Everyone is sound asleep after a long, busy day. It's so quiet and peaceful but that is about to all change. Michaela's bad feeling has become a reality. Everyone is woken up out of a sound sleep with a loud knocking on the door. Sully and Michaela both sit up in bet like a shot.  
"What on earth?"  
"Stay here, Michaela. I'm gonna go check it out."  
The loud knocking continues as Sully gets dressed and runs down the stairs.  
On his way down a half asleep Katie stops him.  
"What's going on, Papa?"  
"I don't know Katie. Just stay here."  
Once Sully gets downstairs he answers the door and sees Matthew standing there.  
"Matthew? What are you doing here? What's wrong?"  
"Sully, you have to get ma and come quick. Something's wrong with Sarah."  
"What's wrong with her?"  
"I don't know. She's in a lot of pain and I don't know what to do. I need Ma."  
"Come on in, I'll go get her."  
Matthew comes inside and stands there holding his hat and squeezing it in his hands.  
Sully goes upstairs to get Michaela.  
Michaela is sitting on the edge of the bed.  
"Sully! What's the matter?"  
"I need you to get dressed. Matthew is downstairs. He said something is wrong with Sarah. She is in a lot of pain and needs you."  
"Oh, no!"  
Sully leaves the room and lets Michaela gets dressed. It is the fastest she's ever gotten dressed before.  
Before you know it she's downstairs, bag in hand and out the door with Matthew. Matthew carefully helps her up onto the wagon and then they are off like a shot.  
Katie comes downstairs and sees her father standing at the door.  
"Papa, what's wrong?"  
"Somethin's wrong with Sarah and your ma went to go check it out."  
"I hope she's going to be alright."  
"So do I, Katie."  
Brian and Maggie finally join them curious as to what's going on.  
Sully explains to them the situation and they are all really worried about Sarah but all they can do is wait and pray. Katie wants to go and be with her mother and Sarah but Sully insists she stay home and wait. She won't be much help to her mother at this point. She would only be in the way.  
All they do is wait and worry.

Chapter 22 coming soon...what's wrong with Sarah? Stay tuned and find out!


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Matthew and Michaela are on the wagon on the way to Matthew's homestead. They are both quiet until Michaela breaks the silence.  
"Do you know exactly what's wrong with Sarah?"  
Matthew turns at looks at Michaela.  
"No, she was fine. She was helping the twins clean up after supper and then she put them to bed. After that she came back into the kitchen to clean up. I went out to the barn to take care of things. Suddenly I heard her scream and when I came back in she was on the floor, holding her stomach and moaning. So I picked her up and put her on the bed. She just kept moaning and holding her stomach. She was really sweaty and her cheeks were flushed."  
"Where are the twins?"  
"Robert E. and Grace are taking care of them. Robert E. stopped by to pick something up and volunteered to take them back to his house in town."  
"I'm glad they're being well taken care of."  
"I wouldn't trust my girls with anyone else."  
They finally reach Matthew's homestead. Matthew stops the wagon and jumps off as he helps Michaela down. She grabs her bag and runs inside. As soon as she gets inside she can hear Sarah moaning.  
"She's in the bedroom, ma."  
Michaela goes to the bedroom and sees Sarah curled up in a ball, moaning. She goes over to her and feels her forehead. She is burning up and the sweat is pouring off her.  
"Sarah? It's Michaela. Can you tell me where it hurts?"  
Sarah looks up at Michaela almost as if she doesn't recognize her.  
"Sarah?"  
Michaela holds Sarah's head as Sarah looks at her.  
Sarah gets a look on her face like she's beginning to comprehend everything.  
"Michaela?"  
"Yes, it's me. Can you tell me where it hurts?"  
"My stomach."  
"Where in your stomach?"  
"In my abdomen."  
Sarah grabs one of Michaela's hands and places it where it hurts.  
"Right there."  
"You have appendicitis, Sarah. Your appendix has ruptured. I am going to need to operate."  
"Can you do it here?"  
"I don't want to move you, so I don't have much choice. "  
Sarah nods.  
"Matthew!?"  
"Yes, ma?" he says as he runs into the bedroom.  
"I need you to go to the clinic for me. Sarah has a ruptured appendix and I need to remove it right away. There are some things there I am going to need for the operation."  
"Yes, ma. Whatever you need."  
Michaela goes on to tell Matthew what he needs as he leaves to go to the clinic.  
She focuses all of her attention back on Sarah.  
"I am going to need to get your fever down, so I am going to make a batch of willow bark tea. I happen to have some in my bag. I will be right back."  
Sarah nods.

Back at the homestead...

Everyone is trying to keep their minds off Sarah, so they are talking and laughing and telling jokes. Katie, on the other hand can't stop thinking about her. Katie runs upstairs and gets dressed and then comes back downstairs. She sees that nobody is paying attention so she sneaks out the back door and into the night. She knows her way to Matthew's homestead so well that she can go there on foot at night and not worry about getting lost.  
She knows a shortcut through the woods; it's almost a straight shot to Matthew's. As she's walking she looks up and sees the full moon. It's so beautiful the way it illuminates the night sky. Katie spends so much time looking up at the moon and the stars that she doesn't pay attention to where she's walking. Suddenly before Katie even has a chance to react, the trap snaps shut on her leg as she looks down and screams. She falls to the ground and grabs her leg where the trap is as she cries.  
She tries to get the trap off her leg but it's too strong for her. The blood oozes through her stocking and down her leg into her shoes as she just lies there on the ground crying and holding her leg.  
"Mama! Papa! Help!" Katie screams as her screams echo off the trees and into the night sky.

Meanwhile at Matthew's...

Michaela has boiled the tea for Sarah's fever and has given it to her. Matthew has made it back to the homestead with the supplies needed to perform the appendectomy.  
Michaela can't operate until Sarah's fever is down. It's dangerous to operate because there could be a risk of infection. The longer they wait to operate the worse off it will be for Sarah but there is nothing that can be done until her fever is down.  
"Thank you for getting the supplies for me Matthew."  
"You're welcome, ma. Is there anything else you need me to do?"  
"Just sit here with Sarah and make sure she drinks the tea while I get everything ready for the surgery."  
"Sure, ma."  
Michaela gets up from where she is sitting and goes to get a pitcher of water from the pump. She comes back in and warms the water on the stove. While the water is heating up, she gets her instruments ready. She grabs the water from the stove and pours it into the basin. She washes her hands in the warm water and dries them on a clean towel.  
Once she has done that she goes back over to Sarah to see if her fever has gone down any.  
"Has she been drinking the tea, Matthew?"  
Matthew looks up at his mother.  
"Yes, ma. She finished the whole cup."  
"Good."  
Michaela checks Sarah's temperature and luckily it has gone down enough for her to do the surgery. The tea worked.  
"I'm going to need your help, Matthew."  
Matthew nods.  
She hands him the chloroform and a cloth.  
"I want you to administer this every five minutes during the surgery by placing over her nose and mouth."  
"It will keep her from waking up while I operate."  
Michaela gets Sarah prepped for surgery.  
"Sarah, Matthew is going to put the cloth with chloroform on it over your nose and mouth so you don't wake up."  
Sarah nods.  
"Go ahead Matthew."  
Matthew places the cloth over Sarah's nose and mouth and within seconds she's asleep.  
Michaela grabs her necessary instruments and begins the surgery.

Meanwhile at the homestead...

Sully, Brian and Maggie are still engrossed in conversation and don't realize Katie is missing at first. Brian gets up to light the fireplace and notices Katie is missing.  
"Sully? Maggie? Have you seen Katie?"  
Maggie is the one to answer.  
"I thought I saw her go upstairs earlier. I'll go check."  
"Thanks, Maggie."  
Maggie smiles as she gets up and runs upstairs.  
A few minutes later she comes back down.  
"Katie's not upstairs. I looked in all the bedrooms. I don't know where she is."  
Sully gets up from where he's sitting.  
"I'll go check outside."  
Sully goes outside to find his daughter.  
Brian and Maggie both begin to worry about where Katie might be.  
Sully is looking around outside in the dark for his daughter.  
"Katie!?"  
He checks the barn.  
"Katie!?"  
"Where could that girl have run off to?"  
He continues to look outside and after awhile he realizes she is nowhere to be found.  
He comes back inside.  
Brian is the first one to say something.  
"Did you find Katie, Sully?"  
"No. I don't know where she is. Looks like I'm gonna have to get the horse and go looking for her."  
"I'm coming along, Sully."  
"No, you stay here with Maggie. You need to stay here in case there is any news on Sarah."  
"Yes, sir."  
Little Wolf wakes up from her spot by the fireplace and starts whining.  
She knows something is wrong with Katie.  
Sully grabs her and brings her along.  
"You can help me find Katie, girl."  
Little Wolf whines again and wags her tail.  
Sully leaves and closes the door behind him. All Brian and Maggie can do is wait.

Meanwhile in the woods...

Katie is lying on the ground, now weakened from the loss of blood. She can't fight anymore.  
"Mama, papa. Help."  
Those are the last words Katie says as she loses consciousness.  
The moon that Katie was admiring earlier shines down on her unconscious form lying on the ground. How quickly things had changed.

Chapter 23 coming soon...what's going to happen to Katie?...Will Sully find her in time?...Stay tuned!


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Michaela finishes stitching up Sarah as the surgery was a success. Michaela was happy that she got to her appendix in time before it killed her. Now they just have to wait for Sarah to wake up. Michaela starts feeling a little nauseous and light headed so she decides to sit down in the chair in the living room and rest. She doesn't want to leave until she makes sure Sarah is going to be okay.  
Matthew gives her a blanket to cover up with as he goes out to the barn to finish what he started earlier.  
Michaela closes her eyes and rests as she waits for Sarah to wake up.

Meanwhile...

Sully is still looking for Katie and has been unsuccessful in finding her so far. He knew it was a mistake taking his arm out of the sling, because it started throbbing with pain almost immediately after leaving the homestead. He knew he couldn't go looking for his daughter if his arm was in a sling. He ended up putting Little Wolf in one of the saddle bags because she fell asleep. Some help she was.  
Sully decides to stop by the reservation to see Cloud Dancing and ask for his help in finding his daughter.  
Once he gets there, he sees Cloud Dancing sitting by the fire in front of his teepee. Cloud Dancing sees Sully and approaches him.  
"Ha ho, my brother. What are you doing here this late at night?"  
Sully gets down off his horse to answer his brother.  
"Katie is missing. I was wondering if you could help me look for her. I have been looking for hours and haven't been able to find her."  
"Yes, I will help you. I will be right back."  
Cloud Dancing goes inside his teepee and comes back out, he then goes and gets his horse. Once he has his horse ready he and Sully take off to look for Katie.  
"Does Michaela know that Katie is missing?"  
"No, she went over to Matthew's because Sarah is sick. I am thinking that is where Katie went, to be with her ma and Sarah."  
"Maybe we should go to Matthew's and see if she is there."  
"I thought about that but I don't want to worry Michaela. I don't want her under too much stress while she's pregnant. I want a healthy baby, Cloud Dancing."  
"I understand. I will go there myself and tell Michaela I am there to see Sarah, she won't have any idea that I am there looking for Katie."  
"I guess that will work. I just want to find my daughter."  
Sully and Cloud Dancing arrive at Matthew's. Sully stays hidden as Cloud Dancing goes up to the house and knocks on the door.  
Before anyone can answer, Matthew walks up.  
"Cloud Dancing, what are you doing here?"  
"Matthew, I have just come to see how Sarah is doing."  
"She's doing fine. Ma did the surgery and it was a success, Sarah pulled through alright."  
"I am glad to hear that. Do you mind if I go look in on her?"  
"Not at all, go right ahead. I got to finish my work in the barn."  
Matthew heads back towards the barn as Cloud Dancing lets himself inside. Once inside he looks around and he sees Michaela sleeping on the chair in the living room but there is no sign of Katie. He decides to go back to the bedroom and see Sarah. He gets back there and sees Sarah sleeping; obviously there is no sign of Katie. He goes back through the living room and out the door.  
He approaches Sully and almost immediately Sully asks if Katie was in there.  
"So was Katie in there?"  
"No, Michaela and Sarah were both asleep and I did not wake them. Katie did not make it here."  
"It means my daughter is still out there. She could be seriously hurt or lost. We have to find her, Cloud Dancing."  
"I agree, we will not give up until she is found."  
Sully and Cloud Dancing mount up once again and go looking for Katie.

Meanwhile...

Brian and Maggie fell asleep waiting for news on Sarah and Katie. Maggie was sitting on Brian's lap while he had his feet propped up on the ottoman. She had a blanket over her. Brian's head was propped up against the back of the chair and Maggie's head was in Brian's chest. They were just so tired. It was a very sweet scene.

Meanwhile...

Katie is still unconscious on the ground. There is a pool of blood around her leg where the trap is. She is losing so much blood and if someone doesn't find her soon, she's not going to make it. There is so much blood. The trap snapped down right above her ankle on her shin bone and cracked it almost in half. If she survives, it's going to take a miracle to save her leg.  
All Katie wanted to do was go help her mother with Sarah and she ends up getting severely hurt. She didn't bargain for this. It's going to be a hefty price to pay for going off on her own and disobeying her parents. She might have to end up paying with her life.

Chapter 24 coming soon...I warned you that this story was going to get a little dark, don't say I didn't warn you...Is Katie going to make it?...Stay tuned and find out if you really want to know...


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Cloud Dancing and Sully are still looking for Katie. Little Wolf started whining so Sully let her out of the saddle bag and held her as best as he could with his bad arm. That didn't satisfy her, something was bothering her. Maybe she sensed Katie was somewhere near. As soon as Sully let her down she ran off towards the woods barking.  
Cloud Dancing and Sully followed her until they came across Katie's seemingly lifeless body lying on the ground. Little Wolf was whining and licking her face. Katie doesn't move a muscle. Sully was frozen where he was looking down at his daughter lying on the ground. He was stunned. Cloud Dancing was the one to get up and go over to Katie. First he pried the trap off her leg and then found something to tie around Katie's leg to stop the bleeding.  
Sully finally got down off his horse and went over to Katie and cradles her in his arms as he starts to cry.  
"My little Kates. Please don't die, baby. You've got to hang on for me and for your ma. I love you, Katie. My little girl." Sully continues to cradle her and cry as Cloud Dancing watches and says a silent Cheyenne prayer for her. Little Wolf just sits next to them and whines. She doesn't understand what is going on.  
Finally Cloud Dancing is able to pull Sully away as he picks up Katie. Sully composes himself enough to help Cloud Dancing put Katie up on his horse. Cloud Dancing holds her in front of him with his arm wrapped around her so she doesn't fall. Sully picks up Little Wolf and gets on his horse.  
Sully heads towards Matthew's homestead as Cloud Dancing heads towards town to take Katie to the clinic. Sully is dreading telling Michaela about Katie. First Sarah and now Katie.  
He cries the entire way to Matthew's. Little Wolf whines, knowing something is wrong. Once there, he dismounts and carries Little Wolf in with him. He comes in the door and hears Michaela talking to Sarah so he heads towards the bedroom and sees Sarah sitting up with a smile on her face as Michaela is listening to her heart.  
Matthew is sitting on the other side of the bed holding Sarah's hand and smiling. They are all happy, how soon that is going to change.  
They don't see him right away until Little Wolf whines and they all look in Sully's direction.  
Once Michaela sees that it's her husband she stops what she is doing and smiles.  
"Sully, what are you doing here? Why do you have Katie's puppy with you?"  
Sully approaches her with a sad look on his face.  
"Sit down, Michaela."  
"Sully, what's wrong? What's happened?"  
"Please sit down, Michaela and I'll tell you."  
Michaela sits down on the other chair beside the bed with a look of worry on her face as she continues to look at Sully waiting for him to answer her.  
"Katie had an accident, Michaela."  
"She had an accident? What kind of an accident? Tell me, Sully!"  
"She was walking through the woods to come here to help you with Sarah and she got her leg caught in a trap. It's broken almost completely in half and there was a lot of blood. She was unconscious when me and Cloud Dancing found her."  
"Is she conscious now?" Michaela asks.  
"I don't think so, Cloud Dancing took her to the clinic so I could come and get you. I don't know if she's going to make it, Michaela. She's lost a lot of blood."  
The tears are pouring down Michaela's face as she cries uncontrollably.  
"No, not my baby. Not Katie."  
She wraps her arms around herself as she rocks and continues to cry.  
Matthew and Sarah hold on to each other and cry silently as Sully sets Little Wolf down and comforts his wife.  
Suddenly as if somebody hit her Michaela stops rocking and crying and looks at Sully.  
"My baby needs me now. I have to go to her and save her. I won't lose her."  
As she says this she gets up and grabs her bag and heads for the door.  
Matthew gets up like a shot and grabs her arm before she gets to the door.  
"Let me drive you, ma."  
Michaela just nods.  
Matthew checks on his wife once more and then heads out the door and onto the wagon. Sully is right behind them with Little Wolf.

Meanwhile...

Brian and Maggie have woken up and realized that nobody has come back yet and it has been hours. They are both very worried that something is terribly wrong. They go and get dressed and then Brian goes outside to get Taffy. Once they are saddled up, they head for Matthew's.

Back in town...

Cloud Dancing has already made it to the clinic. The town is so quiet this late at night. They have no idea what is even going on. The little girl that they all love so much might be dying and there is nothing they can do.  
Cloud Dancing was able to get down off his horse with Katie still in his arms. He lays her on the bench in front of the clinic as he takes a closer look at her leg. It is in really bad shape. If she does survive, she may end up losing her leg. Infection is already setting in.  
Before long he hears the wagon pulling into town. He picks up Katie so she will be ready to be taken into the clinic.  
Once the wagon stops, Michaela jumps off without any help from Matthew and grabs her bag. She runs over to Cloud Dancing to see her daughter.  
Michaela is too busy looking at Katie's face to pay any attention to her leg right away. She places her fingers on Katie's cheek as fresh tears fall down her cheeks.  
"My beautiful Katie, my baby girl."  
Cloud Dancing is the one to say something.  
"Should I take her inside and lie her down?"  
Michaela, who is still somewhat out of it doesn't answer.  
"Michaela?"  
She then gains use of her senses and looks up at Cloud Dancing.  
"Yes, take her inside and lay her on the table."  
Sully unlocked the door of the clinic and has turned on a couple of lamps.  
Cloud Dancing sets her down on the table and backs away from her so her mother can examine her.  
First she checks to see if she is breathing. Her breathing is very shallow. Then she checks her heartbeat and it is very faint. Katie is slowly fading away. Time is of the essence. Michaela then checks out Katie's leg.  
The way things are looking it looks like she will have to set it so she can fix the damage done to the leg. She won't be able to put an actual cast on it until the stitches heal but has to set the leg so it can't be moved.  
Michaela nominates Sully to help her as she asks Matthew to go and get Brian and Maggie and let them know what's going on.  
Cloud Dancing wants to stay but Sully and Michaela both insist on letting him go check on Morningstar. He promises to be back later to check on Katie.  
As Cloud Dancing leaves Michaela stops him.  
"I just wanted to thank you for helping find my little girl and for bringing her to the clinic."  
"I was happy to do it. Katie is like a daughter to me and I could not leave her there. I want her to get well."  
"We all do." Sully replies.  
Cloud Dancing nods as he leaves the clinic and closes the door behind him. After a few minutes you can hear hoof beats as he heads back towards the reservation.  
Michaela goes back to the task of trying to save her daughter's life and her leg.

Chapter 25 coming soon...Can Michaela save her daughter? Stay tuned!


	26. Chapter 25

Early the next morning…

Michaela was able to repair Katie's leg and stop the bleeding. She had to stitch it up and put a splint on it. She can't put a regular cast on it until the stitches heal. Katie still hasn't woken up. Michaela fell asleep next to Katie; she never left her daughter's side. This is how Sully finds them. Michaela is sitting next to Katie's bed with her head lying next to Katie's, fast asleep. She is holding Katie's hand.

Sully has a smile on his face as he watches his wife and daughter sleep. He knows Michaela was exhausted, being pregnant and not getting much sleep the night before. First she had to deal with Sarah, and then Katie. Katie definitely has her mother's stubborn streak. That is what got her into the mess in the first place, going off on her own in the middle of the night when she has been told numerous times not to go out alone at night. On top of that she didn't pay attention to where she was going and got severely hurt. It could end up costing Katie her life.

Sully hears footsteps behind him and turns around. It's Hope coming to check on Katie.

"Hey, Hope."

"Hi, Sully. Katie still hasn't woken up?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

Hope walks the rest of the way in the room and approaches the opposite side of Katie's bed.

She grabs Katie's free hand.

"Katie? It's Hope. You need to wake up, okay? You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you. You are my sister and I love you."

Katie still doesn't wake up, but Michaela does. She looks up still a bit groggy and sees Hope sitting on the other side of the bed.

"Hope?" Michaela asks; still a bit dazed.

"Hi, Dr. Mike. I just came to check on Katie. Sully told me she still hasn't woken up."

Michaela looks at her daughter.

"No she hasn't."

Michaela gets up and grabs her bag and gets her stethoscope out of it. She goes back over to Katie and places the stethoscope on her chest. Katie's heartbeat is very weak. She is slowly fading. Katie's breath is also very ragged and shallow and she is running a fever. The sweat is pouring off of her. She has developed an infection in the wound.

Hope just watches Michaela examine Katie, waiting for her to say something. Sully is still standing by watching by the door.

As if reading Hope's mind, Michaela looks up at her.

"Katie is slowly dying. She has developed an infection in the wound on her leg. Her heartbeat is very weak and her breathing is shallow. Her only hope is a blood transfusion but even that is risky in her weakened condition."

"She still has a chance if she gets the transfusion, right?" Hope asks.

"Yes, but it's very risky. I don't know who can give her blood. I can't because I'm pregnant."

Before Michaela can say anymore Hope stands up.

"I'll do it, Dr. Mike. I will give her some of my blood."

"You are very young, Hope. You are 10 ½, I don't know if your body can handle losing so much blood."  
"I don't care, I'm doing it. Nothing is going to change my mind. I will do whatever it takes to save Katie. She's my best friend and my sister. I don't want her to die."

"Okay then, I will get everything set up for the transfusion."

Sully leaves to grab a cot for Hope to lie on while Michaela grabs the necessary equipment needed to perform the operation.

Brian and Maggie fell asleep at Matthew's waiting word on Katie. They are all still asleep. The twins are still at Grace and Robert E's. They still are clueless as to what is going on, them being so young. They don't understand that Aunt Katie is very sick and very hurt.

Most of the town is still clueless as to what is going on except for a chosen few. So it's still very quiet this early in the morning in Colorado Springs.

Once everyone is clued into what is going on, the silence will be no more.

Sully finally brings in an extra cot and sets it up as Hope lies down on it. Michaela sets the vein in Hope's arm so she can put the needle in.

"You are going to need to lie as still as you can and stay calm so the blood will flow freely. After it's over you are going to feel very weak and tired so I am going to suggest you rest. I will give you some juice and bread to eat afterwards so you can get your strength back."

Hope nods at Michaela, agreeing with everything she was just told. She hopes she does everything right and Katie pulls through. She would give anything to see Katie's beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile again.

Hope and Katie are both set up and the blood is going straight into Katie. If everything goes well, Katie should wake up. She will have new blood and feel as good as new. The only thing that Michaela can do now is wait, so she and Sully go downstairs and leave the girls alone.

Once Sully and Michaela are downstairs, Grace has breakfast waiting for them and keeps them company. They all hope and pray for Katie's speedy recovery.

Will Katie pull through? Stay tuned and find out!


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

A few hours later…

Michaela needed to go upstairs and check on Hope and Katie and to see if the transfusion was working. On her way up, she grabs the tray with a muffin and some juice on it for Hope. Michaela knows she will like it because her mother baked it.  
Once upstairs she goes into Katie's room.  
Hope hears Michaela come in and looks over at her.  
"Hi, Dr. Mike."  
Michaela turns around from setting the tray next to the cot and smiles at Hope.  
"You're awake."  
"Yes, I did sleep for a little while but I am so upset over Katie that I can't sleep for long. I wish she would wake up."  
Hope looks over at Katie's unconscious form on the bed.  
"I know, sweetheart. She's my daughter and it's so hard to see her like this. It's taking everything inside of me not to break down crying every time I look at her. I still can't believe this happened."  
Hope focuses her attention back on Michaela as she reaches up with her free arm and places her hand on Michaela's arm.  
"I'm sorry, Dr. Mike."  
Michaela looks down at Hope as a tear rolls down her cheek. She smiles despite the tears and nods.  
"Thank you for being such a good friend to Katie."  
"She's really my only friend. She is the only person who has accepted me from the very beginning. Just because I'm black, people treat me differently; but not Katie. She didn't look at my skin color, just who I was as a person."  
"I taught Katie that. Your mother was one of the first people that befriended me when I came to Colorado Springs."  
"Katie told me it was Matthew, Colleen and Brian's mother who died that befriended you."  
"Yes, she did. But when your mother came to town, she never judged me for being a female doctor and I never judged her for being black. Once I lost Charlotte, your mother was one of my only friends."  
Hope grins.  
"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."  
Michaela grins back.  
"I guess not."  
Michaela wipes the tears from her face and then leans over Hope.  
"I need to check your pulse."  
Hope bends her arm upward so Michaela can check her pulse.  
"Your pulse sounds good."  
Hope nods.  
"Are you hungry? I brought you a muffin and some juice. The muffin is fresh; your mother baked it especially for you."  
"Yes, I'm starving."  
Michaela smiles as she picks up the tray and hands it to Hope.  
Hope looks down at the stuff on the tray.  
"Yum, ma made my favorite; blueberry, with lots of blueberries."  
Hope picks it up and takes a big bite.  
Michaela laughs and shakes her head.  
As Hope eats her muffin and drinks her juice, Michaela takes the transfusion out of her arm and wraps a bandage around it.  
She then takes the transfusion out of Katie's arm and wraps a bandage around it.  
In doing so, she looks up at Katie and begins to cry again.  
She reaches up and caresses Katie's cheek.  
"I love you, Katie. I hope you open your eyes soon and let me know you going to be alright."  
She then stands up and kisses Katie's cheek and then turns away as she wipes the tears away. She takes a look at Katie's leg and it appears to have gotten worse.  
It's turning bright red and purple around the stitches. Michaela pours some rubbing alcohol over it. The wound bubbles when the alcohol hits it. She puts the bandage back over it.  
She begins to think to herself.  
"I hope Katie doesn't lose her leg. I don't want to have to amputate."  
Hope notices Michaela standing there staring.  
"Dr. Mike, are you okay?"  
It breaks Michaela from her thoughts.  
"I'm alright, just thinking."  
As if reading her mind Hope asks the question she didn't want to hear.  
"Is Katie going to lose her leg?"  
"I hope not, Hope. I am going to do everything I can to save her leg."  
As she says this, she gathers up all her supplies and puts them in her bag. As she is putting things in her bag, she sees her stethoscope, and picks it up and holds it for a second.  
She brings it up to her ears and walks over to Katie and places the stethoscope over her chest and Michaela is happy to hear that her heartbeat has gotten stronger. It is due to the transfusion. Michaela just stands there with a goofy smile on her face as she continues to listen to Katie's heartbeat.  
"Dr. Mike is Katie okay?"  
Michaela stops what she is doing and looks at Hope with that same smile planted on her face.  
"Yes, she's great. Her heartbeat is strong. She's coming back to us, Hope."  
Hope gets a big grin on her face as she jumps up a little too quickly from the cot but Michaela catches her and they hug.  
"I am so happy, Dr. Mike. Katie's coming back!"  
"I know. It's wonderful."  
They continue to hug as Sully peeks his head in and sees them hugging. He comes into the room.  
"Am I interrupting something?"  
They stop hugging and look up at Sully.  
"Katie's coming back to us, Sully. Our little girl is coming back."  
Sully gets a look of disbelief on his face as Michaela begins to stand up to hug him but in doing so she gets lightheaded and almost faints. With both Sully and Hope there, they are able to stop her from falling.  
They help her to sit on the edge of the cot. She places her hands on her cheeks.  
"Are you okay, Michaela?"  
"I'm alright, Sully. I just got up a little too fast."  
She places her hand over her stomach.  
"I keep forgetting about the little one since I have been worrying about Katie and taking care of her."  
"You need to be careful and take care of yourself and the baby. Why don't you go into the other room and lie down. I'll keep an eye on Katie and take care of Hope."  
"If you're sure, Sully."  
"Yes, I'm sure. Now go lie down before I have to get up and carry you in there myself."  
"Alright, I'm going."  
She stands up and makes sure she has her balance and then walks over to the door. She turns and waves at Sully and Hope and then leaves the room.  
Sully and Hope both stand up.  
"I guess I better get home. Since Katie's doing better and I feel fine, now is a good a time as any to go see my ma and pa."  
"If you're sure you're well enough to walk home."  
"Yes, thanks Sully."  
"No thank you, Hope. You helped to save Katie's life. I will always be grateful."  
"I was happy to do it. Katie is my best friend and I don't want her to die. I love her."  
"I know you do." Sully says as he gives Hope's shoulders a squeeze and kisses the top of her head.  
"See you later, Sully."  
"Bye Hope."  
Hope walks over to where she put the tray. She picks it up and leaves the room.  
Sully watches her leave and then goes over to Katie. He sits down and grabs her hand.  
"I hear you're coming back to us, Kates. I am glad to hear that. You are a Sully and we don't give up, we are strong. You keep fighting to come back, Katie. I love you, baby."  
He picks up her hand and kisses it. He lays it back down and stands up. He looks at Katie one last time and then leaves the room.  
As soon as Sully leaves the room, Katie stirs.  
She begins to open her eyes and at first everything is blurry as her eyes try to focus. Once she opens her eyes, the light hurts her eyes at first so she has to squeeze them shut for a minute and then opens them. When her eyes finally adjust to the light she looks around to see where she is and is confused at first.  
"Mama? Papa?" she says weakly.  
She tries to sit up and as soon as she does a sharp pain shoots through her leg.  
She cries out and grabs her leg and then looks at it and screams.

Chapter 27 coming soon…


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Michaela is sitting at her desk at the clinic looking at some of her medical books. She is looking to see if there is anything that she can do for Katie that she hasn't already done. She had to give Katie something to help her sleep. When she first woke up and saw her leg, she was very upset. Michaela couldn't calm her down. She knew Katie would be upset at seeing her leg.

Sully comes into the clinic to check on things and sees Michaela asleep with her head on her desk. She has an open medical book underneath her head. He just smiles as he places his hand on her shoulder.

"Michaela?

She doesn't stir. She is very tired because she hasn't gotten much sleep and she's pregnant. He's not the least bit surprised. He does it again.

"Michaela?"

This time she begins to stir, sits up, and yawns.

She looks around the clinic, confused at first and then she begins to comprehend everything.

"Sully?"

"Yes, it's me."

She yawns again.  
"I must have been tired."

She stretches and then stands up but before she can completely stand up, she gets lightheaded and almost faints. Sully catches her and sits her back down in the chair.

"Michaela you are going to need to slow down for the baby's sake. You're trying to do too much."

"I need to take care of Katie, Sully. Her leg is not going to heal itself, you know."

"How about we talk to Dr. Bernard and see if he can take over taking care of Katie. You need to start taking it easy and resting more."  
"Sully, Katie is my daughter and I want to take care of her. Only I know what's best for her. Dr. Bernard doesn't know how to take care of Katie the way I do."

"What about the baby, Michaela? Are you thinking about the baby at all?"

"Of course I am. How could you ask me such a thing?"

"You don't seem to be thinking about the baby at all. Since Katie's accident, you have thought about nothing but her. All your time is spent taking care of her. You aren't taking care of yourself. You need to rest more and eat more."  
"Byron Sully! I don't need you telling me that I need to take care of myself! I know I need to!"  
"Then why don't you?"

Michaela starts to cry.

"Katie's leg is in very bad shape, Sully. She may die. I cannot lose her. I lost a baby to miscarriage and I refuse to go through a loss like that again."  
Sully gets down on one knee and comforts his wife.

"I know you don't want to lose Katie. I don't want to lose her either. I know how hard that miscarriage was on you."

Sully puts his hand on Michaela's still flat stomach.

"I don't want to lose this little one either."

Michaela looks down and places a hand over Sully's.

"I don't either. This baby is our second chance."

"Then please consider getting some help taking care of Katie."

"Okay, I'll think about it."

"Good."

They smile at each other and hug.

They finish hugging as Michaela wipes her eyes and then gets up to go check on Katie. Sully leaves the clinic to go get the others so they can come and see Katie. She was too upset before to have any visitors.

Michaela gets upstairs to Katie's room and sees her lying there. She appears to be sleeping until Michaela approaches the bed.

Katie turns her head towards her mother, her face wet with tears.

"Katie, I thought you were still asleep." Michaela says as she sits on the edge of the bed.

Katie shakes her head as she reaches up and wipes the tears away.

"No. I heard you and Papa arguing and it's all my fault, Mama."

"Why do you say that, sweetheart?"  
"You were arguing because I hurt myself and you are taking care of me. Papa is worried about the baby because you are working so hard taking care of me. I will never forgive myself if you lose the baby, Mama. I don't want you and Papa fighting."

"Oh, Katie. It's not your fault."  
"Yes it is. I went out in the middle of the night after you and Papa not to have told me not to and I got hurt. I deserve to lose my leg."  
"Katherine Sully! I don't ever want to hear you say something like that ever again!"

A fresh set of tears roll down Katie's cheeks.

"Why not? It's true."

"You do not deserve to lose your leg. You are my daughter. You did make a mistake but you also learned your lesson. I am going to do everything I can to keep you from losing that leg. I don't care what it takes. Do you understand?"

Katie nods.

"Yes, mama."

"I love you, Katie."  
"I love you too, Mama."  
Michaela reaches out for a hug from her daughter. Katie gives her one. They sit there and hold one another until they are interrupted.

"Are we interrupting something?" Sully asks as he sees his wife and daughter hugging.

They both pull out of the hug and look at Sully. He's holding Aimie and Matthew is next to him holding Angela. Behind Matthew are Brian and Maggie and next to them are Grace and Hope. Cloud Dancing is behind them and he has Morningstar with him.

Michaela smiles and stands up and approaches Sully.  
"No, not at all. Come on in."

Michaela looks over at Katie and smiles.

Katie smiles back at her mother.

"Look who came to see you, sweetheart."

"How ya doin', Kates?" Sully asks his daughter.

"I'm doing as well as I can, Papa."  
"It's good to see you awake."

Katie smiles and nods.

Matthew speaks up.

"Yes, it is little sister. The twins wanted to come and see their Aunt Katie. They have missed ya."

Katie looks at Aimie and then Angela and smiles.

"I'm glad they came. I'm happy to see them."

Matthew puts Angela down and Sully does the same with Aimie.

They both are hesitant at first to approach Katie.

Michaela is there to make them comfortable. She leans over and grabs their hands.

"Girls, would you like to say hi to Aunt Katie?"

Aimie, who acts more shy than normal hides herself in Michaela's skirt. Angela looks up at Michaela.

"Is it really okay to talk to Aunt Katie, Gramma?"

Michaela starts to say something and then Katie interrupts.

"Its okay, Angela. You don't have to be afraid to talk to me. I may be hurt but I'm still the same person I always was."

Angela grins as Katie reaches out to her for a hug. Angela runs to the bed and jumps on it to give Katie a hug but the impact of Angela landing on the bed causes it to move. It moves Katie's injured leg and she cries out in pain and grabs it.

Angela sits on the bed shocked and scared.

"I'm sorry Aunt Katie."

Katie doesn't answer because she's still in so much pain. She continues to hold her leg and has her eyes squeezed shut to the pain.

Angela climbs down off the bed and runs to Matthew. He picks her up as she hugs him.

She feels bad for "hurting" Aunt Katie.

Aimie still has her face half buried in Michaela's skirt.

Sully comes over and relieves Michaela of Aimie as Michaela goes and grabs her bag. Everyone is just standing there not saying anything. They don't know what to say. It's really hard for them to see Katie like this. They just didn't know what to expect.

After Michaela has gotten what she needed out of her bag, she goes over to the bed and gives Katie something for the pain.

"It should start working almost immediately, sweetheart."

Katie just nods her head as she continues to hold her leg in pain.

When the painkiller finally kicks in, Katie is finally ready to greet everyone. She gets a chance to talk to everyone.

They are all happy to see her awake and are glad that she is doing as well as she is, considering.

When she is done, talking to everyone Grace gives her some of her stew that she likes so much. They all leave her alone and let her eat.

Angela keeps asking if they can come back and see Aunt Katie later. They tell her yes. Angela is just as happy as everyone else to have Aunt Katie back even if she can't get out of bed.

Aimie is still a little scared yet. She just needs some time to get used to the change.

It appears things are finally starting to look up…or are they? Things aren't always what they seem…

Chapter 28 coming soon…stay tuned!


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

A few days later…

Sully brought Little Wolf to help cheer up Katie. Little Wolf had missed Katie and Katie had missed her puppy. Having Little Wolf there seemed to make Katie happy. She looked better than she has looked since her accident. Animals always seem to make the best medicine.

Michaela stands at the door and watches Katie play with Little Wolf. Little Wolf chases the ball that Katie throws and brings it back to her. She smiles as she leaves the room and decides to leave them alone. She decides to find out how Sarah is doing. It has been several days since she has checked in on Sarah. She goes to look for someone to stay with Katie while she's gone.

She goes over to the telegraph office to see if Horace or Myra can look after Katie. Once she gets there, she sees Samantha but no sign of her parents.

Samantha sees Michaela come in.

"Hello, Dr. Mike. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, are your mother and father around?"

"No, sorry. Pa is out running an errand and ma is back at the house taking care of Micah."  
"She's taking care of Micah? Is he alright?"

"Yes, he's just been coughing and ma wanted to keep him at home."

"He's coughing and she hasn't brought him in to see me?"

"He just started coughing yesterday but if it gets worse she will probably bring him in to see you."

"I hope so. Micah is my godson and he's named after me. I care about him very much."

"I know you do Dr. Mike. What did you need to see my folks about?"

"I needed someone to look in on Katie while I run out to Matthew's to check on Sarah."

"Oh. I'm sorry my folks aren't here to help out. If I see my pa I will let you know you were looking for him."

"Thanks, Samantha."

"You're welcome." She replies with a smile as she goes back to what she was doing.

Michaela leaves the telegraph office and walks over to the mercantile.

Once there, she sees Dorothy's daughter Christina running the store. Loren must be lying down. It is very busy this time of day. Christina is not an option so she walks over to Grace's café and sees Brian and Maggie together at a table.

"Brian! Maggie!"

Brian and Maggie look up and smile.

"Ma, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the clinic with Katie?"

"I need to go out to Matthew's and check on Sarah. Can you stay with Katie at the clinic while I'm gone?"

"Sure, ma."

"She has the puppy with her so she will be occupied for awhile. I just need someone to stay with her in case she needs something."

"Okay. We can play checkers or chess and just keep her occupied. It won't be a problem."

"Thanks Brian."

They all walk back to the clinic as Michaela grabs what she needs at the clinic and gets on the wagon that Brian hitched up for her.

She heads on out to Matthew's while Brian and Maggie stay with Katie at the clinic.

Meanwhile…

Brian and Maggie go upstairs to check on Katie because she is being so quiet. They go to her room and look in on her. Little Wolf is sitting on the floor whining with a ball in her mouth. Katie is lying on the bed motionless. Her eyes are closed. They decide to go over to the bed to get a closer look. She just appears to be sleeping so they decide to leave her alone and let her sleep. Brian picks up Little Wolf and takes her with them.

They play with her downstairs in Michaela's office while Katie sleeps.

Meanwhile at Matthew's…

Sarah is happy to see Michaela and she is actually able to get up and walk around a little bit. She is still in some pain but is feeling better each day. She's grateful to Michaela for saving her life. The twins are down for their naps so the house is quiet. Sarah goes to lie down while Michaela sits with her as they talk and catch up. Sarah is very concerned and worried about Katie and cannot wait until she is well enough to go see her.

Michaela gets up and makes them both some tea as they continue to talk well into the afternoon. The twins wake up hungry so Sarah makes them something to eat. Michaela takes this as her cue to leave. She needs to get back to the clinic to check on Katie. The twins give hugs and kisses to grandma as she leaves and she promises to come and check on Sarah again in a couple of days.

On the way home Michaela gets a nagging feeling that something is not right. Her mother's instinct is kicking in and she cannot wait until she gets back to the clinic to check on Katie.

Back at the clinic…

Brian and Maggie are sitting at the desk playing chess while Little Wolf sleeps on the floor next to the desk.

Sully comes in and sees them playing chess.

"Hey you two, so who's winning?"

Maggie grins as she looks at Brian.

Brian has an exasperated look on his face.

"Maggie's winning. She always wins."

"Where's your ma, Brian?"

Brian looks up at Sully and answers him.

"She went out to Matthew's to check on Sarah. She should be back soon."

He goes back to playing or rather getting beat by Maggie.

Sully smiles as he watches them for a few minutes and then he goes upstairs to check on Katie.

Once he gets upstairs, he heads straight for Katie's room and sees her sleeping. He approaches her, leans over and kisses her on the forehead. After he kisses her, he realizes how hot she is. She is burning up. She is sweating profusely. She didn't even wake up when he kissed her on the forehead. This is not a good sign. He looks at her leg and the wound is swollen. It is red and purple and looks horrible. He starts to get terribly worried and cannot wait for Michaela to get back.

Michaela is not going to like what she is coming home to.

Chapter 29 coming soon…is Katie going to live? What is Michaela going to do? Stay tuned and find out!


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Michaela sees Sully standing outside of the clinic as she pulls up. She wonders why he would be standing there waiting unless there is something wrong with Katie. She stops the wagon as he approaches and helps her down. She immediately asks him why he standing there waiting.

"Sully is there a reason why you were standing there waiting for me?"

He doesn't answer her right away and instead asks about Sarah.

"So how is Sarah doing?"

"She is doing better everyday. She is still in some pain but she is getting stronger and feeling better."  
"That's good to hear. I'm glad she's feeling better."

"Now are you going to answer me, Sully or are you going to continue to avoid my question?"

"I need you to come upstairs with me, Michaela."

Michaela gets a worried look on her face as she looks at Sully as he leads her inside the clinic.  
"I knew it, there's something wrong with Katie, isn't there?"

"I'm afraid so."

Michaela grabs her skirt as she runs up the stairs with Sully on her heels. She heads straight for Katie's room and over to her bed.

"What's wrong with her, Sully?"

"I don't know. All I know is that she's unconscious, she's sweating a lot and her leg looks worse."

Michaela leaves Katie's bedside long enough to go get her medical bag. She comes right back over and takes out her stethoscope and places it on Katie's chest.

"Katie's heart sounds strong."  
She puts the stethoscope back in her bag. She then opens Katie's eyes one at a time to look at her pupils. Her pupils indicate that she has slipped into a fever-induced coma.

She looks up at Sully.

"Katie has slipped into a coma brought on by the high fever. She has an infection in her leg and that's what brought on the fever. In turn the fever caused her to slip into a coma."  
"Is she going to live?" Sully asks.

"Her heart sounds strong, so that's a good sign but with the infection it doesn't look good. The thing to do now is to get the fever down and then work on getting rid of the infection."  
"Are you going to be able to do that by yourself?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to need Dr. Bernard's help. I am going to go over to the telegraph office and send a telegram to Dr. Bernard in Denver. I am going to need him to get here as soon as possible. Please stay here with Katie."  
"I will stay with Katie as long as you need me to. Go ahead and go send the telegram, I'll stay right here."

"Thank you so much, Sully. What would I do without you?"

"You will never have to find out, now go send that telegram, we don't have any time to waste."

Michaela nods as she leaves the room and heads over to the telegraph office.

Meanwhile at the telegraph office…

Michaela bursts into the door startling Horace as he looks up with a shocked look on his face.

"Dr. Mike! You scared me! Is everything alright?"

"I'm afraid not, Horace. I need to send a telegraph to Dr. Bernard in Denver right away."

"Absolutely Dr. Mike! Just tell me what you want it to say."

"To Dr. Charles Bernard Denver, Colorado Please come to Colorado Springs right away. Katie has taken a turn for the worse and I am in desperate need of your assistance. Time is of the essence. I hope you can help me. My daughter's life is at risk. Thank you. Dr. Michaela Quinn Colorado Springs, Colorado."

"I got it all Dr. Mike."

"Thank you so much, Horace."

"I was happy to do it. Samantha told me that you came by earlier looking for me."

"Yes, I did but I was able to find someone to help out. Brian and Maggie looked after Katie while I was gone."

"I pray Katie is going to be alright."  
"Thanks, so do I. Well, I had better get back to Katie. Sully is with her now and I don't want to be away from her for very long right now."

"I understand. See you later."

"See you later Horace."

Michaela waves at him as she leaves the telegraph office. On her way back to the clinic, she runs into Grace and Hope. They run towards her yelling her name.  
"Dr. Mike!"

She looks in their direction, stops, and waits for them to approach her. When they see her lack of enthusiasm at seeing them they stop running and yelling and waving and calmly approach her. When they approach her, they see the sad look in her eyes and on her face.

"Has Katie taken a turn for the worse?" Grace asks, concerned.

Michaela nods as she breaks down on Grace's shoulder as her body is racked with sobs. Grace comforts her as she takes her and sits her down on the bench in front of the clinic. Hope is right behind them as she sits down and helps comfort Michaela as well.

"What happened to her?" Grace asks.

In between sobs, Michaela manages to answer her.

"Well, Sully brought the puppy over to play with Katie. The puppy and Katie were playing and Katie was looking so good and she was happy so I decided to go over to Matthew's to check on Sarah, to see how she was doing since her surgery. I asked Brian and Maggie to keep an eye on Katie in case she needed anything while I was gone. They stayed at the clinic while I was gone. Sully came to the clinic while I was gone as well to check on Katie. When I came back from Matthew's he was standing outside waiting for me when I pulled up on the wagon. That's when he told me about Katie. So I went inside and upstairs to her room and saw her lying on her bed. She was sweating profusely and was unconscious. Sully told me that he came upstairs and found her like that. I checked her heartbeat and it was strong but when I checked her pupils, they indicated that she has slipped into a fever-induced coma brought on by the infection in her leg. I just got back from the telegraph office sending a telegraph to Dr. Bernard asking for his help with Katie. I just don't know what to do anymore. I have tried everything and she has gotten worse, not better. I can't lose my little girl, Grace."

Michaela buries her face in Grace's neck as she breaks down again. Hope rubs Michaela's back as she cries. Hope has tears in her eyes as well. She is so worried about her friend. Nobody wants to lose Katie.

"I know, Dr. Mike. We are all here for you and Sully as well as Katie. Whatever you need. We don't want Katie to die either. Katie is my goddaughter and I love her as if she were my own. She is a beautiful young lady who I know has a lot of years left in her. There is still so much left for Katie to do. It's not her time to die."

"I agree with you, Grace."

They all look up at the source of the voice. It's the Reverend.

"Reverend." Michaela says as she stands up and approaches him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Katie has taken a turn for the worse?" he asks.

"Yes, she has. It doesn't look good, Reverend." Michaela replies.

"I am so sorry to hear that, Dr. Mike."

"Thank you."

"Would it be alright if I went inside and saw Katie and said a prayer for her?"

"Sure, Katie could really use some prayers right now."

They all head upstairs as Michaela helps the Reverend out, so he doesn't trip and fall on the stairs, him being blind.

Once they get upstairs, Sully is sitting next to Katie's bed holding her hand. While Michaela was gone, Cloud Dancing showed up for a few minutes and dropped off some herbs for Michaela to use on Katie's wound. He had to get back and be with Morningstar, it's getting harder for her to get around. She gets tired more often now.

Sully hears them come in, as he looks up surprised to see all the people with Michaela. He was only expecting her, not them. He is happy to see them though since they are there to see his daughter.

Michaela smiles at her husband and answers his question before he can ask it.

"I ran into Grace, Hope and the Reverend on my way back. The Reverend would like to say a prayer for Katie."

"I'm glad you're all here to see Katie. You are more than welcome to say a prayer for Katie, Reverend. I'll leave the room so you can pray for her." Sully replies as he starts to get up from the chair.

The Reverend hears the chair move.

"You don't have to leave Sully. In fact you are all welcome to stay."

"Thanks Reverend but there is something I need to do. I will be back in a little while."

"Okay, Sully."

Sully leaves the room as Michaela leads the Reverend over to Katie's bed and helps him sit in the chair. He feels around until he finds Katie's hand and once he does, he holds it in both of his.

"Dear Heavenly Father, your child Katherine needs you more than ever right now. She is very badly hurt and needs your healing touch. You are a wonderful, loving God and I know you love Katie very much, Lord. I know you aren't ready to take her home yet. She still has so much to do here. She is going to be a big sister in a few months and she needs to be here for that. Her mother needs her to help her take care of the baby that you have chosen to bless her with at this stage in her life. So please Lord touch Katie with your healing touch and let her know you are with her. We love her and just want her to get better. Thank you Lord. Bless your Holy name. Amen."

"Amen."

Grace helps the Reverend find his cane and hands it to him as he stands up and he heads towards the door.

"Thanks again for the prayer Reverend."

"I was happy to do it Dr. Mike. I want Katie to get well just as much as you do. I will continue to pray for her until she is well."  
"That means so much to me." Michaela tells him as she grabs his free hand.

He smiles, nods, and squeezes her hand as Grace helps him leave. Hope is right behind them.

Michaela goes back over to Katie's bed and sees the bag of herbs that Sully left sitting there. She picks it up, opens it up, and looks in it. She smiles as she decides what to do. She goes downstairs with the bag in hand and once down there she puts the herbs in the bowl and mixes them up with water until it becomes pasty and can be spread on the body. She takes the mixture and heads back upstairs to Katie's room. Once she's back in Katie's room she goes over to the table and pours some cold water into the basin. She grabs a clean towel, dips it in the water, and then wrings it out. She takes it over to Katie and places it on her forehead to try to bring her fever down. She then begins to spread the herbs on the wound on Katie's leg and then she wraps it up in a bandage. All she can do now is wait, wait for Dr. Bernard, wait for the herbs to work, wait for God to answer her prayers to save her daughters life, and wait and wait and wait…

Chapter 30 coming soon…what will happen? Stay tuned to find out!


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

An hour later…

Michaela has fallen asleep in the chair next to Katie's bed. She is holding Katie's hand. Michaela is exhausted. Taking care of Katie and being pregnant at her age is taking its toll on her body. Who knows how much more her body can take?

Sully comes back from doing what he left to do earlier and sees Michaela asleep in the chair. He lets her sleep by grabbing a blanket and covering her up. She needs the sleep so he is going to leave her alone and let her sleep.

After covering her up with the blanket, he takes a minute and looks at his wife's sleeping form. He cannot believe how beautiful she still is. Even after everything she's been through with Katie and being pregnant, she still looks beautiful. She seems even more beautiful than usual and he knows that is because of the baby growing inside her, their baby.

A baby he never thought they would have. He thought Katie would be the only child they would ever have and now they are just a few months away from having another.

He hopes with every fiber of his being that Katie lives to see her new sibling. He cannot lose Katie, he will not lose Katie.

Sully is so lost in his thoughts he doesn't hear Horace come up behind him. He startles him. Sully jumps out of his skin.

Once he sees who it is and he composes himself, he is able to greet Horace properly.

"Oh Horace it's just you, you scared me!" Sully whispers.

"Sorry, I just wanted to bring you this telegram as soon as possible. I know Dr. Mike would want it. It's from Dr. Bernard. He says he's already on the train on his way here and will be here sometime early in the morning."

"Thanks for bringing it so quickly Horace, I appreciate it. I will let Michaela know."

"No problem, Sully. See you later."

Horace leaves as Sully looks down at the telegram and reads what Horace just told him.

He cannot help but smile because with Dr. Bernard here, he will make sure Michaela will take care of herself and the baby and he will be able to save Katie's life. Sully puts the telegram on the table next to Katie's bed so Michaela will see it when she wakes. After doing that he approaches Michaela, leans over and kisses her square on the mouth. She is so tired that she does not even wake. She stirs a little but continues to sleep.

"I love you Michaela."

Sully then goes over to Katie and smiles at her, then leans over, and kisses her on the cheek.

"I love you Katie."

Hope, who is standing at the doorway watching, cannot help but smile. She came over to see Katie and happened to catch Sully there. A tear falls down Hope's cheek as she watches the scene before her. They are such a beautiful family and it would be awful if Katie died. Hope still remembers when her folks told her about Anthony, the boy they adopted who died of a mysterious illness they could never diagnose. It tore them apart when they died until she came along, so she knows what Sully and Dr. Mike would go through if they lost Katie. As selfish as it sounds, Hope does not know what she would go through if she lost Katie. She does not even want to think about it. Katie was her first real friend; they grew up together and have been inseparable since day one. If Katie died, she would be lost.

"Please God, don't let Katie die. Please let her live, let her keep her leg. Please God. That's all I ask." Hope tells God under her breath as fresh tears slide down her cheeks.

Sully turns to leave the room, so Hope finds somewhere to hide so Sully does not see her. Sully leaves without seeing Hope. Once he is out of sight, she goes into Katie's room, grabs a chair, sits next to Katie's bed, and does not move at least for a while.

A little while later…

"Hope? Are you up here, sweetheart?" Grace asks, looking for her daughter.

"I'm in here, ma."

"Hope! There you are! I have been looking for you everywhere. You had me worried sick!"  
" Shhh!" Hope scolds her mother as she puts her finger to her mouth.

Grace realizes what is going on and puts her hand to her mouth.

Sorry, ma. I just came over to see Katie and spend some time with her." Hope whispers.  
Grace approaches her daughter and puts her hands on her shoulders.

"You are very worried about her aren't ya?" Grace asks.

"Yes, I am ma. I don't know what I would do if Katie died."

"Let's hope and pray that she survives. Katie is a survivor and I have a feeling she's going to pull through. We can't lose faith."  
Hope just nods.

"I remember what happened when me and your pa lost Anthony. We had a hard time. We almost got divorced. Things didn't look good at all and then just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, we found out we were expecting you. That's when I believed the saying "God giveth and God taketh away." God gave us Anthony but then he took him from us but then he gave us you, our Hope. You were our second chance."

As Grace says this, her arms wrap around Hope's shoulders as she puts her chin on Hope's head and gives her a hug. Hope's hands reach up and grab her mother's arms as she smiles.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Have I ever lied to you? We couldn't have asked God for a better gift. He was testing us you know. He gave us Anthony to prepare us for you. He wanted us to know what we were doing before we had you. When you finally got here, we knew we were ready. You were the most beautiful baby. God knows what he's doing, sweetheart. You have to remember that."

"I'll try, ma. I'll really try. Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for. Now let's get going, I have dinner ready."  
"Is pa joining us, or is he working late again?"  
"I don't know. I guess we will find out, huh?" Grace tells her daughter as she puts her arm around her and Hope smiles and nods as they leave the room.

Michaela and Katie are left alone once again.

Chapter 31 coming soon…What will happen? Stay tuned and find out!


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Later the next day…

Dr. Bernard is now in Colorado Springs and has had a chance to look at Katie's leg and come to his own diagnoses. He decides to try something that had yet to be used on someone. Michaela is hesitant to let him do it at first but since everything else had been tried, she finally allowed him to do it.

Dr. Bernard was also very upset with Michaela because she had not been taking very good care of herself and the baby. He made her lie down and take a good, long nap. He wouldn't even let her assist him with Katie. So while she was napping, he took that time to work on Katie. He had never seen a leg wound or a leg break as bad as Katie's. He couldn't believe that Katie had survived as long as she has. He is just amazed at the fight the girl has in her. She is definitely her mother's daughter.

He did what he could for Katie and just had to wait to find out if it worked.

Michaela woke up from her much deserved nap, and looked like a new person. She looked better than she had looked in a long time.

Dr. Bernard had Michaela lie down on the examining table and did an examination on her to make sure the baby was doing okay and he was a little disappointed that the baby wasn't progressing more than it was.

He let her know about how he felt.

"Dr. Quinn, I am not at all pleased with the progression of the baby. You are almost 9 weeks along, and the baby is still very small. The baby should be about the size of a fist by this time, but the way it sounds it's not much bigger than it was a few weeks ago."

Michaela gives Dr. Bernard a look of worry and guilt. She knows she hasn't been taking proper care of herself since Katie's accident.

"I know what that means Dr. Bernard. It means that if I don't start taking care of myself, I will lose the baby."  
"That is exactly what it means, Dr. Quinn. I am very serious here. You being a doctor should know how important it is to take care of yourself and eat properly when you are pregnant. It's essential, especially at your age, and having already had a miscarriage. You can't continue to do this, do you understand?"

"Yes, Doctor. But what about Katie? I can't just abandon her."

"I'm not asking you to abandon her, I wouldn't expect you to. I am just asking you not to ignore the health of your unborn baby because of your concern for your other child."  
"All right, Doctor. I promise I will take better care of the baby and myself. I have to admit that taking that nap really helped. I feel much better than I have in awhile."

"Have you eaten anything today?"

"No."

"Well, I am going to do something about that. I am going to go over to Grace's Café and get you something to eat. Meanwhile, you go upstairs and sit with Katie. Do not move from that spot. Is that understood?"

Michaela nods as she heads for the stairs as Dr. Bernard heads out the door to Grace's. Michaela makes her way up the stairs and into Katie's room. Once in there she heads right for Katie's bed. She is still comatose but she appears to have more color in her face. Michaela decides to look at the work Dr. Bernard did on Katie's leg. Once she sees it, she cannot believe how much better it is looking. The swelling is going down and the bruising is going down. The purple coloring of the bruising is even starting to fade. It's becoming green, instead of the awful purple color it had been for so long.

Before Michaela even realizes it, the tears are falling down her cheeks as she puts her hand up to her mouth and the other on her still flat stomach.

Then she hears the door open and close downstairs, and that brings her back to reality as she rushes over and sits down in the chair next to Katie's bed.

She hears footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hallway towards Katie's room. She watches the doorway expecting to see Dr. Bernard but instead is greeted by Grace herself.

"Grace! I was expecting Dr. Bernard."

"Sorry to disappoint you. He had to go see a patient real quick, but he will be back as soon as he can. He told me to bring you this food."

"What did you bring me?" Michaela's stomach starts growling and realizes how hungry she really is.

"Why don't you taste it and tell me?"

Grace hands her the tray of food and places it on her lap. The smell continues to entice and tease Michaela's taste buds. Her stomach growls even louder as she looks at the food, still unable to identify it.

She picks up the spoon, blows on it, and then puts it in her mouth. Almost immediately, her face gets a look of instant pleasure and recognition as she finishes the bite.

"It's Chicken and dumplings right, Grace?"

"You're right. It's chicken and dumplings but I added a special ingredient, that's why you didn't recognize it until you tasted it."

"It's wonderful Grace." Michaela tells her as she continues to shovel the food into her mouth.

Grace watches for a minute with a shocked look on her face and then asks Michaela if she would like more.

"Would you like more, Dr. Mike?"

Michaela just nods and continues to eat. Grace leaves to go get more chicken and dumplings.

Once she's downstairs and on her way out the door, she runs into Dr. Bernard and almost knocks him over.

"Whoa! Where are you headed in such a hurry, Grace?"

"Michaela wants more food, so I need to hurry. I'll be back in few minutes."

Grace turns around and runs towards her café, her skirts flying behind her. Dr. Bernard just shakes his head and smiles as he heads upstairs to check on Michaela and Katie.

Once he gets to Katie's room, he sees Michaela finishing off the last bite of food. She hears footsteps and begins to speak.

"Thanks, I'm glad you brought me more, Gr-".

Michaela finally turns to see who it is.

"Dr. Bernard, sorry I thought you were Grace bringing me more food."

"Hungry are you?"

Michaela nods as she wipes her mouth with a napkin.

"I was hungrier than I realized. You were right. I need to take better care of the baby and myself. I am going to do that. I really want this baby, doctor and I want it to be healthy."  
"I know you do, Dr. Quinn."

"Here's more chicken and dumplings, Dr. Mike". Grace says as she comes in the room carrying another tray of food. Michaela hands the other tray to Dr. Bernard as Grace hands her the other tray.

Before Michaela can even begin digging into her food, a moan comes from Katie's bed. They look over and realize Katie is waking up. Michaela stands up, sets the tray of food on the chair, and then approaches Katie.

She grabs Katie's hand.

"Katie sweetheart, it's your mama."

Katie, who is still trying to wake up, answers her mother.

"Mama?"

"Yes, sweetheart it's me. I am so happy to hear your voice. I am so happy that you are waking up and doing better."  
Katie is finally able to open her eyes, she gives her eyes a minute to adjust and then she looks right at her mother.

"Mama, what happened? What's going on?"

"You don't remember what happened, sweetheart?"

Katie continues to look at Michaela with a confused look on her face.

"No mama. What's wrong with me? Why am I here?"

Michaela looks up at Dr. Bernard with a confused look on her face. She does not understand why Katie does not remember what happened.

Dr. Bernard approaches Katie as Michaela steps back and lets him talk to her.

"Hello Katie. How do you feel?"

"Hi. My head hurts and my throat is dry. My leg really hurts." She says as she puts her hand on her forehead.

Michaela goes over to the table, gets Katie a cup of water from the pitcher, and brings it to her.

"Here sweetheart drink this. It will help your dry throat."

Katie takes the cup from her mother and drinks it.

"Thanks, mama."

"I'm going to go and get my bag from my clinic and I will be right back."

"Dr. Bernard, you can use my bag, it's over on the cabinet."

Dr. Bernard nods, goes, and gets Michaela's bag. He brings it back to the bed. He pulls out the stethoscope, and holds it on Katie's chest and listens to her heart. Her heart sounds strong.

As he's examining Katie he asks Michaela where Sully is.

"Do you happen to know where Sully is Dr. Quinn?"

"Yes he and Cloud Dancing went hunting. They probably won't be back until late tonight or early in the morning."

"I was asking because I figured Sully would want to know that Katie's awake."

"I know he would, Dr. Bernard."

Katie overhears them talking about Sully.

"Mama, you know where papa is? I want to see him."

"No I don't know where he is sweetheart. He's out hunting with Cloud Dancing."

Katie gets a disappointed look on her face. Grace notices and speaks up.

"I can have Robert E. go look for them."

Michaela is the one to answer.

"That would be wonderful Grace. Thank you."

"I'm happy to do it, Dr. Mike."

They hug each other and then Grace leaves to find Robert E.

Dr. Bernard finishes examining Katie and makes her comfortable.

"Your mother and I will be right back. You stay here and rest, okay?"

Katie nods.

Dr. Bernard grabs Michaela's arm.

"I would like to speak to you out in the hall."

Michaela follows him out into the hall and waits for him to say something.

He turns around to face her.

"I'm afraid Katie is suffering from a mild case of temporary amnesia."

Michaela begins to cry as her hand goes up to her mouth.

"Now, it's not uncommon for someone to have amnesia after waking up from a coma especially a coma brought on from a severe fever, such as the one Katie had."

Michaela turns away from the doctor.

"Amnesia? My baby has amnesia. I can't believe it."

Dr. Bernard approaches her and grabs her shoulders.

"It's only temporary and it's a very mild case. I don't see why she won't remember what happened in time."

"Are you sure about that?" Michaela asks.

"I'm almost positive. She knew who you were and who Sully was. She knows who she is and where she is. I asked her all that and she knew. She just doesn't remember what happened or why she is lying in bed at the clinic."

Michaela turns around and faces the doctor.

"Thank you, Dr. Bernard. Thank you for taking such good care of my little girl. Your father would be so proud of you, you know."

Dr. Bernard just smiles and nods as Michaela wipes away the tears on her face.

"I'm going to go be with Katie. I just need to be with her. I know she needs me to be with her."

"I understand, Dr. Quinn. I will go and leave you two alone. I will come back a little later and check on Katie and you as well."

"All right, I will see you later then."

He tips his hat, turns, and leaves as Michaela goes back into Katie's room.

She approaches Katie's bed as Katie turns her head and sees her mother.

"Hi, mama where is everyone?"

"Everyone is busy, sweetheart. Brian is out with Maggie and…"

Katie interrupts her mother.

"Who is Maggie, mama?" she asks waiting for her mother to answer.

Michaela just looks at Katie with a look of complete disbelief.

Chapter 32 coming soon…Will Katie get her memory back? Is she going to be okay? Stay tuned and find out!


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

A few hours later…

Michaela is sitting at her desk at the clinic. She is looking through some of her medical books to find out more about amnesia. She knows so little about it, not having had to deal with it with any of her patients so far. She never thought her own daughter would get it. She rubs her hands over her face and neck to relieve some of the tension.

Suddenly the door bursts open with a frantic Sully as a startled Michaela looks up at him come in.

"Sully!"

"I got here as soon as I could. Robert E. told me that Katie woke up but she has amnesia?"

"Yes, she's awake. Her amnesia is minor and temporary. I have been looking through my medical books to find out more about it. I don't know a lot about it, not having dealt with it before."

"Have you been able to find out anything about it?"

"Just that you have to do things to jog their memory, like showing them pictures, taking them places they have been before, showing them things they might recognize like personal belongings and clothes."

"What are you going to try first?"

"First she wants to see you. She has been asking about you since she woke up from her coma."

"Well, then I better go up and see her. You want to join me?"

"Yes, but there is something I need to do first, I will meet you up there in a little while."

"Okay."

Sully heads upstairs to see his daughter.

Meanwhile…

Katie is lying awake on the bed waiting for her father. She was reading a book but she could not concentrate on it. She doesn't understand what is going on, she is very confused. She doesn't know why she is lying in bed, how she got hurt or even what day it is.

Sully peeks around the door of Katie's room and sees her lying there looking up at the ceiling.

He steps into the room.

"Kates? It's your pa."

Katie looks over, sees her father, and grins.

"Papa! I have been waiting for you to get here for so long!"

She sits up and puts her arms out for a hug.

Sully approaches her and wraps his arms around her.

"I love you, Papa."

"I love you too, Kates."

Michaela finally makes her way upstairs and into Katie's room. She stands at the door and watches her husband and daughter for a few minutes with a smile on her face.

Sully and Katie pull out of the hug.

"So did you and Cloud Dancing have any luck hunting, Papa?"

"Yes we did. We caught a couple of deer. He took one home and I kept one."  
"Do you think we could have it for dinner?"

"Maybe your ma can cook it up tomorrow night."

"Sounds good to me, Katie." Michaela says to her daughter as she approaches the bed.

"Hi mama, what are you holding in your arms?" Katie asks with a smile on her face.

Michaela looks down at the photo albums in her arms.

"Oh, these are pictures I brought for you to look at."  
"Why?"  
"I thought you might want to see them, sweetheart."

"Okay." Katie replies as she shrugs her shoulders.

Michaela hands Katie the photo albums as Sully stands up and puts his arm around Michaela. She lays her head against him.

Katie opens up the photo album and begins to look at the pictures.  
"Is your leg hurting you right now, Katie?"

"No mama, it's fine. The stuff you gave me earlier is still working."

"All right, but you tell me if your leg starts to hurt again."  
Katie nods.

"I will."

"Would you like us to leave you alone while you look at the pictures?" Sully asks.

"No, you can stay. I want you to stay. Sit down on the bed with me." Katie pats the bed.

Michaela and Sully pull apart as they sit down on opposite sides of the bed next to Katie.

They all look at the pictures together as Katie asks about them and they tell her. Hopefully this will help her start to remember and then she can began to heal both physically and mentally.

Meanwhile at Grace's…

The townsfolk are all preparing a big surprise for Katie. They are going to surprise her with a small party and her favorite foods. They are so happy that she is awake and is doing better and on the way to recovery. They know how much Katie loves parties and want to do anything they can to make her happy.

The party was Brian's idea after Grace told him she was awake. He loves his little sister so much. He is such a good big brother.

The whole town loves that little girl and would do anything for her.

Brian decided to be the one to tell his folks about the party for Katie. He knows they will be all for it. He leaves the party preparations to go to the clinic to talk to his folks.

Meanwhile back at the clinic…

"That was me?" Katie asks.

"Yes, that is you, sweetheart." Michaela replies.  
"How old was I there?"

"You were four."

"What were we doing?"

"We were-"

Brian interrupts Michaela.

"Ma, Sully?"  
They all look up.

"Brian!" Katie replies.

"Hi Katie! How are you feeling?"

"Good."

"I'm glad to hear that."  
Katie holds her arms up for a hug from her brother.

Brian approaches her and wraps her in a hug.

"I love you, Brian."  
"I love you too, Katie."  
They pull out of the hug.

"Ma, Sully I need to talk to you about something out in the hall."

Michaela and Sully look at each other with confused looks on their faces and then look back at Brian.

"All right."  
"Katie, we will be right back."  
"Okay." Katie nods.

The three of them gather in the hall.

"What did you need to tell us Brian?" Sully asks.

"All of us are getting together and having a small party for Katie. I wanted to let you know about it. It was my idea."

"That's a great idea, Brian! Katie will love it and it might even help to regain her memory being around all the people she has grown up with."

"I'm glad you feel that way, ma. But there is one problem."  
"What's that?"  
"Where are we going to have the party?"

"Why is that a problem?" Sully asks.  
"Katie can't move her leg can she?"  
"No, she can't." Michaela replies.

"So where can we have the party?"  
"We can have it in her room."  
"Is there enough room for everyone in there?"  
"Probably not."  
"Well, I'm going to go talk to everyone and see if we can have the party later after Katie is able to get around a little better."  
"We will figure out something, Brian. But until we do, we don't say anything to Katie as not to get her hopes up."  
"Okay ma. I'll see you later."

Michaela nods as she and Sully go back into Katie's room and Brian heads back over to Grace's.

Once he gets back there, he lets them know what is going on. They all decide to talk about it and put their heads together and hopefully they will figure something out. In the meantime, they all decide to see Katie on their own to say hello and to let her know they are happy she is doing better.

Chapter 33 coming soon…What will happen? Will Katie get her memory back, and will there be a party? Stay tuned and find out!


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

After Katie had a much-needed nap, some of the townspeople came to visit her. Loren was one of the first to come see her, and of course, he had a bagful of her favorite candy. She especially loved gumdrops and licorice. Before she got hurt, she came in almost everyday to buy some candy with her allowance that she got for doing her chores and helping at the clinic and even helping at the mercantile. Just for helping sometimes, Loren would allow her one free piece of candy. He missed her visits and it made him think back to when Brian was hurt. He had missed Brian's visits then just as much as he missed Katie's now.

He heads on over to the clinic after gathering up the candy he wanted to take to Katie. He knew she would love it. Katie was a special girl and he wanted to show her how special she was. There are things that people really do not know about him. How much he really loves that little girl and that he really does have a good heart. The front that he puts on is just for show, he does not want people knowing whom he really is inside. The only ones that truly know are Brian and Katie.

He makes it to the clinic and up the stairs to Katie's room. Before he gets inside the door, he hears Katie sobbing as Michaela soothes her.

"Mama, it hurts! It really hurts!"

"I know sweetheart, I know. I'm sorry."  
"Can you stop the pain, mama?"  
"I'm trying; Katie but there is only so much I can do."

Michaela holds Katie as Katie has her face buried in her mother's chest. Katie's body is racked with sobs. Michaela rubs Katie's back as she holds her.

Loren just continues to watch, almost forgetting why he came in the first place. Michaela is such a good mother to Katie. She is a good mother to all her children, even Matthew who is grown and does not think he needs a mother. No matter how old you get, you always need your mother.

Loren is interrupted from his thoughts when he hears footsteps behind him. He looks to see who it is, it is Sully. Sully is carrying Katie's puppy and a bag full of stuff. Sully sees Loren and nods a greeting since his hands are full.

"Hey Loren, you here to see Katie?"  
Loren nods.

"Yes, but she is with her ma right now and is in some pain, I didn't want to bother them."

"Her leg must be hurtin' her right now. It's getting to where the stuff Michaela is giving her isn't workin'."

"I hate seeing her in pain, Sully."  
"I know you do Loren. You care about Katie very much."

"Yes I do and I just want her to get better. I brought some candy for her because I know how much she likes it. I was hoping it would cheer her up."  
"That's real nice of ya, Loren."

Suddenly Loren and Sully hear Michaela hum Katie a lullaby. It is Katie's favorite. It was one that was sung to her when she was little. It seems to help calm her down at least for the time being. Sully and Loren take this as their cue to enter the room.

Sully clears his throat to get Michaela's attention. She turns to see Sully and Loren standing there.

"Sully, Loren hello."

"Michaela, I brought some stuff for Katie." Sully says as Little Wolf squirms in his arms and whines.

She is tired of being held and wants to get down and play. Before Sully sets Little Wolf down on the floor, Katie spots her.

"Papa, whose puppy is that?"

"It's your puppy, Kates. Her name is Little Wolf."

"I have a puppy?"  
"Yes, I got her for you a few weeks ago, before you got hurt."

"May I hold her?"  
"Sure, she's your puppy."

Sully approaches the bed and hands Little Wolf to Katie. As soon as Little Wolf is in her arms, she begins to lick Katie's face. Katie's just giggles.

"It looks like she missed ya, Kates."

"She likes me." Katie manages to say between giggles.

All three of them watch with big grins on their faces. Sully knew that bringing the puppy would be a good idea. He is just glad to see his daughter happy. The best thing would probably be to leave the puppy at the clinic.

"I have some more stuff her for ya." Sully says as he opens the bag and begins taking stuff out of it.

"I have your favorite doll, your favorite book, your quilt from your bed at home, and your hairbrush. I even brought some pictures that you had sitting on your dresser. We can leave them here, next to your bed, so you can look at them anytime you want."  
"Thanks Papa. I'm glad that you brought them."

"Loren brought you some of your favorite candy sweetheart." Michaela tells her daughter.  
Katie looks up just realizing that Loren was there.

"Hi Mr. Bray. You brought me some candy?"  
"I sure did, little girl. I brought your favorites, gumdrops and licorice."

Katie gets a big grin on her face as Little Wolf continues to try to lick her face.

Katie reaches out for the candy as Loren hands it to her. She immediately digs in, sticks a gumdrop in her mouth, and begins chewing. Little Wolf gets curious and sticks her nose in the bag of candy.

"No puppy! You can't have my candy!" Katie scolds as she pulls the bag away from Little Wolf's nose.

"All right, I think that's enough excitement for now." Michaela speaks up as she grabs the puppy away from Katie and puts her on the floor.

Katie just continues to eat her candy, suddenly not interested in the puppy anymore at least for the time being.

Michaela starts to grab the candy from Katie.

"I think that's enough for now, Katie. You are going to make yourself sick eating all of that at once. You won't be able to eat your supper."

Katie pulls the bag away from her mother's grasp.

"No mama! I want my candy!" Katie replies.

"Katie, please give me the candy." Michaela says as she tries to take the candy from Katie again.

"No! It's mine!"

Katie turns away from her mother and holds the bag of candy against her chest.

"Katie Sully what has gotten into you, young lady?"

"Nothing, I just don't want you to take my candy."

"I will not have you behaving like this, do you understand? You are too old to act like this."

"Katie, you need to listen to your ma and give her the candy."

"But Papa it's mine! Mr. Bray gave it to me!"  
Tears begin to roll down Katie's cheeks. She does not understand why her parents want to take away her candy.

"I know it's yours sweetheart. You can have more later. I just don't want you to get sick and spoil your supper. Grace is making a wonderful meal."

"Are you sure I will be able to have more later, mama?"  
"Absolutely sweetheart!"

"Okay."

Katie reluctantly hands her mother the bag of candy. Michaela takes it and puts it on the table. Katie eyes it sitting there next to her mother's medical bag.

"I'm kind of tired all of the sudden. I think I'm going to take a nap before supper." Katie tells her mother, father and Loren.

"Do you feel all right?" Michaela asks as she feels Katie's forehead.

"Yes, I'm just tired all the sudden."  
"You do feel a little warm, Katie."  
"I'm fine mama. I'm just tired okay?"

"All right, sweetheart. We will leave you alone and let you rest then. I will come back and check on you later."  
Katie nods.

The three of them, Michaela, Sully and Loren file out of the room and leave Katie alone. As soon as they leave, Katie begins crying again as she puts her hands up to her face and cries her heart out.

She is confused, tired, scared and in pain and she does not know why. She does not know what to do. Nobody will tell her anything. All they want to do is show her pictures and bring her things. She wants someone, anyone to talk to her and help her understand. She wants to know what is going on. She will do whatever it takes to get some answers. She may be hurt and she may have amnesia but she is not stupid.

They left the puppy in the room when they left. She puts her front paws up on the side of the bed and whines. She looks at Katie.

"Oh, you're still here. Well you might as well keep me company."

Katie picks up Little Wolf and puts her on the bed with her.

"You can stay up here but please don't lick my face."  
As if reading her mind, Little Wolf lies down next to Katie, curls up, and falls asleep. Katie watches her for a minute as her eyes slowly close as she falls asleep. She still gets very tired quite often. She and the puppy sleep but once she wakes up she is going to get the answers she wants and will do whatever she has to do to get them.

Chapter 34 coming soon…what is going to happen? Stay tuned and find out…if you really want to know…


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Three weeks later…

It finally came time for Michaela to take out the stitches in Katie's leg and to put a cast on it. Everyone was getting ready for the 4th of July celebration in town. Michaela wanted Katie to be able to attend, so she is glad Katie's leg is healing up. With it in a cast, she will at least be able to move it without any worry about pulling out the stitches.

Brian and Maggie were supposed to head back to Denver two weeks ago, but decided to stick around a little longer to celebrate the holidays with the family. He sent a telegram to the Denver Chronicle letting them know what was going on and they said it was fine. They understood about Brian's sister being hurt.

Katie still has amnesia but with all hope in time, her memory will return.

Katie has had many visitors in the last couple of weeks. Everyone has been coming to visit her. Some of them she doesn't remember, others she does. It did her a world of good seeing people that she cares about and that care about her. Little Wolf has been staying at the clinic with Katie, having the puppy around is the best thing for her.

Michaela has been running around like a chicken with her head cut off taking care of Katie and helping with the twins, she hasn't been listening to Dr. Bernard like she said she would. She hasn't been eating properly, or sleeping as much as she should. The baby has been the farthest thing from her mind as she as been taking care of Katie. All of that is about to come back and bite her in the butt.

Sully and Michaela are in charge of the twins because Matthew and Sarah had to take a trip to Denver and will be gone for a week. Sarah is healed up well enough to travel.

Brian and Maggie are watching them while Sully is taking care of some business and Michaela is at the clinic.

Michaela has gathered up all she needs to remove the stitches and stuff for a cast. She heads upstairs to Katie's room and once she gets there, she sees Katie reading and Little Wolf is curled up on the bed asleep.

She steps into the room and sets the stuff down on the table next to Katie's bed. Katie looks up from her book.

"Hi mama."

"Hi Katie, are you enjoying your book?"

Katie nods.

"It's all right. I am having trouble understanding some parts of it, but it's a good book."

"Where did you get the book?"

"Miss Dorothy brought it to me. She brought me a lot of books."  
"That was nice of her."  
Katie closes the book and nods.

"Yeah it was. Are you here to take the stitches out of my leg?"

"Yes I am. Are you ready?"

"Definitely, I am ready to get out of this bed and go outside."  
"I know you are sweetheart."

Michaela grabs the scissors and the other things she needs for taking out the stitches. She then goes over to the bed and begins to take the stitches out.

She stops for a second and looks up at Katie.

"You let me know if you are in any pain while I'm taking the stitches out."  
Katie nods.

"I will, mama."  
Michaela goes back to taking the stitches out of Katie's leg.

Meanwhile at the livery…

"I think Katie will really like these, Sully." Robert E. replies.

"I know she will, Robert E. I'm glad that she's finally getting the stitches out and getting a cast put on. She can finally get out of that bed."

"It will be nice to have Katie back again, even if she does have amnesia."  
"We almost lost my girl, Robert E."

"I know Sully, but that girl is a fighter and is strong just like her mother. I knew she would pull through."

"Thank you Robert E. I think I'm going to go to the clinic and check on Michaela and Katie now. May I keep these here until the party?"

"No problem. See ya later."

Sully waves as he walks away and heads towards the clinic.

Back at the clinic…

Michaela finished taking the stitches out and the wounds healed up well. The medicine that she and Dr. Bernard gave Katie, really helped get rid of the infection.

"Are the stitches out, mama?"  
Michaela looks at her daughter.

"Yes, they are. Now I'm going to put the cast on. It's going to take awhile, sweetheart. So I would suggest you get comfortable. I can give you some chloroform, so you can sleep."  
"No, mama it's okay. I want to stay awake while you do it. I promise I won't move around too much. I'll read my book."

"All right but if you start to move around too much, I'm going to have to give you chloroform."  
"Okay, mama."

Michaela mixes up the plaster for the cast as Sully comes in.

"Hey."

Michaela looks up from what she is doing and looks at Sully and smiles.

"Hi, Sully."

"Papa!"

Katie reaches up for a hug and Sully approaches her and gives her one.

"Mama, can papa stay here while you put the cast on?"

"I don't see why not."

Katie grins as Sully sits down next to his daughter.

Little Wolf continues to sleep, oblivious to everything.

Michaela begins putting the cast on as Sully holds his daughter.

Meanwhile…

"Uncle Brian, are we going to go get to see Aunt Katie?" Angela asks.

"Yes, we are going to go see her soon but we have to run a few more errands first."

"Okay."

Brian, Maggie and the twins are on the wagon on the way back to town. They had to take care of some things back at the homestead before going to town.

Since it has been just Brian and Maggie staying there lately, they are the ones taking care of everything around there.

It feels very strange with them being the only two there but since Katie is getting better they will all be back home again where they all belong.

The twins chatter up a storm with each other as they continue on their buggy ride.

Back at the clinic…

Michaela is almost finished putting the cast on Katie. Katie is lying against her father as he has his arm around her.

Michaela's back is starting to hurt her sitting in the same position for so long so she has to stand up but when she does she gets a sharp pain in her abdomen. She doubles over in pain and tries not to scream out. Sully and Katie don't notice at first until they see her leaning against the table holding her stomach.

Sully jumps up like a shot and checks on her.

"Are you okay, Michaela?"

She just shakes her head as she continues to hold herself.

Sully picks her up, takes her in the other room, and lays her down on the bed.

"Sully, why did you do that, I have to finish putting on Katie's cast." Michaela says before another cramp hits her.

"I'm going to go get Dr. Bernard; you stay here and lie down. I will be right back. Don't get up."

"Sully!"

"I mean it, Michaela. Stay here."

Sully runs out the door.

Michaela lies back on the pillow, frustrated as she holds her stomach. She then feels something warm between her legs and realizes she is bleeding.

She gets a worried look on her face as she lies there as she puts her hands over her eyes and begins to cry.

"Why does this keep happening? I don't understand." Michaela says to herself between sobs.

Before long Dr. Bernard and Sully, make it back to the clinic and into Michaela's room.

"Dr. Quinn, you didn't listen to me did you?"  
Michaela takes her hands off her eyes, which are wet with tears and looks at Dr. Bernard.

"No."

"Sully, I'm going to examine her, so I am going to ask you to leave the room."  
"I will go keep Katie company."

Dr. Bernard nods as he approaches the bed.

"Did your cramps just start?"  
"Yes. I had a backache while I was putting on Katie's cast so I stood up to get the kinks out. After I stood up, I got a shooting pain in my abdomen. Sully then brought me in here and then I felt something warm and knew I had started bleeding."  
"Are you cramping now?"  
"Yes, but not as badly as I was."

"I'm going to examine you now to see if everything is okay. Please put your legs up."

Michaela puts her legs up as Dr. Bernard begins his examination.

Meanwhile…

"Papa is mama going to be okay?"  
"She's going to be fine; Dr. Bernard will take good care of her."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's pregnant, Katie and is trying to do too much."

"Mama's going to have a baby?"  
"Yes, you're going to be a big sister, Kates."  
Katie grins.

"I hope it's a boy, Papa."

"You want a baby brother?"

Katie grins and nods.

"Yes."

Sully grabs Katie and hugs her and she hugs him back.

Chapter 35 coming soon…Are Michaela and the baby okay. Stay tuned and find out!


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

A little while later…

Dr. Bernard finishes his examination of Michaela. He cleans up as Michaela lies there waiting for him to speak. He continues to be silent but Michaela cannot take it anymore.

"Is everything okay, Dr. Bernard?"

Dr. Bernard dries his hands on a towel as her turns around and faces her with a sad look on his face.

"I'm afraid not, Dr. Quinn."

Michaela looks away as she gets tears in her eyes.

"I lost the baby, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

Michaela's puts her hands over her eyes and begins to cry hard.

Dr. Bernard sits down on the bed next to her and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"I do have some good news, though."

Michaela looks takes her hands off her eyes and looks up at Dr. Bernard, her eyes wet with tears.

"Good news, Dr. Bernard? I lost my baby; there is nothing good that can come from that."

"You are still pregnant."

"Excuse me?"

"You are still pregnant."  
Michaela gives Dr. Bernard a confused look.

"How is that possible? I lost my baby."  
"Yes, you lost a baby but you are still pregnant."

"Dr. Bernard what are you trying to tell me?"  
"You were carrying twins, Dr. Quinn. You were carrying two babies but you lost one. You still have a baby growing inside you."

Michaela just sits there for a minute with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Dr. Quinn?"

Dr. Bernard brings Michaela back to reality. She looks at him.

"I was carrying twins and I lost one?"

"Yes."

"Is that even medically possible? I have been delivering babies for a long time and I don't recall ever having dealt with it before."

"It's medically possible, Dr. Quinn. I have been reading up on them in my medical books, although there have not been any known cases as of yet. It looks like you might be the first known person to have dealt with this."

Michaela places her hand on her stomach.

"I have to tell Sully, he would want to know."

"You're right, I will go get him. You stay here."

Dr. Bernard leaves to go get Sully who is still with Katie.

Michaela begins to rub her stomach as she talks to her unborn baby.

"I'm sorry little one; it's all my fault that you lost your brother or sister. I should have been taking better care of myself. I wasn't thinking about you two, only your sister Katie. I love you and am going to take extra special care of you, I promise from now on. I can't wait to see you and hold you in my arms."

"Michaela."

Michaela stops what she is doing and looks up at her husband.

"Sully."

Michaela holds her arms out to him; he approaches her and wraps her in a hug. She wraps her arms tightly around him and cries on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Sully. I lost one of our babies. It's all my fault."

Sully grabs her shoulders and has her look at him.

"You lost one of our babies? What do you mean one?"

"I was carrying twins, Sully and I lost one."

"You were carrying twins?"  
Michaela nods.

"Yes."

Sully pulls her back into a hug again.

"I'm so sorry, Sully."  
"We will get through this together, Michaela. We have to remember that we still have our daughter and a baby on the way. We won't ever forget the baby we lost, I promise you that."

"I love you, Sully."

"I love you, too."

"I'll leave you two alone. I am going to go check on Katie and finish putting on her cast."

Sully and Michaela stop hugging and look at Dr. Bernard. They both nod.

Meanwhile…

"Come on, Uncle Brian! I wanna see Aunt Katie!" Angela says as she pulls on Brian's arm as they walk toward the clinic.

Brian is trying to hold hands with Maggie while carrying Aimie.

"We're coming, Angela! Katie isn't going anywhere. She knows we're coming."

Once they get into the clinic, Angela runs upstairs yelling.

"Aunt Katie? Gramma? Grampa? Are you here?"

"We're upstairs!" Sully yells to his granddaughter.

Angela heads towards Katie's room first and sees Dr. Bernard putting the finishing touches of the cast on Katie's leg.

"Hi Aunt Katie! Where's gramma?"

"Angela! She is in the other room with grandpa."

"Oh, I'll be back."

Angela leaves the room and runs to the other room where Sully and Michaela are.

"Hi, gramma and grampa."

"Angela, where is your sister, your Uncle Brian and Maggie?" Sully asks.

"They're comin' grampa. What are you and gramma doing in here?"

"Grandma wasn't feelin'too well, so she came in here to lie down."

Angela approaches the bed and looks at her grandmother.

"You don't feel good, gramma?"

Michaela smiles at her granddaughter.

"Now that you're here, I am feeling much better. Just seeing your face brightens my day Angela."

Angela grins as she climbs on the bed and gives her grandmother a hug. Michaela gives her a hug as the tears start flowing again.

"There you are, Angela. Katie told us that you were in here. Why didn't you wait for us?" Brian admonishes his niece.

Angela pulls out of the hug and looks at Brian.

"Sorry, Uncle Brian."

Brian sees that Michaela has been crying.

"Ma are you okay?"

Michaela looks up at her son.

"I will be fine, Brian. I will tell you about it later."

Brian nods as he sets Aimie down on the floor. Immediately she runs to the bed and joins her sister. She gives her grandparents big hugs. Michaela watches her granddaughters and begins to think about the baby she just lost, if the baby would have lived, this is exactly what her twins would have been like together.

She begins to cry again. Sully takes her in his arms and holds her.

The twins notice.

"Gramma are you okay?" Angela asks.

Michaela just shakes her head and continues to cry as Sully holds her.

"Aimie, Angela lets leave them alone and go visit Aunt Katie for awhile, okay?"  
"Okay, Uncle Brian. Let's go, Aimie." Angela says as she grabs her twin sister's hand. They both run towards Katie's room. Brian stands there and looks at his mother for a minute. Maggie just watches him, wondering what is going on. Finally, he grabs Maggie's hand as they join the twins in Katie's room.

Brian really wants to know what is going on with his mother. That is going to happen sooner than he realizes and he will be just as shocked and sad as everyone else when he finds out.

Chapter 36 coming soon…


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

A few days later…

It is the day of the 4th of July celebration in town and everyone is excited. It's not just a celebration of the 4th of July, but also a surprise party for Katie to celebrate her recovery. The town is alive with the hustle and bustle of everyone getting ready for the festivities. It's promising to be an exciting, beautiful day. Michaela has been lying in her bed depressed for several days ever since she lost one of her twins to miscarriage. Brian and Maggie were filled in on everything and them as well as Sully has been there to support her and get her through. They were hoping she would be feeling better by the 4th of July, but so far she is still in a state of depression. They can't seem to get her out of it. They constantly remind her of the baby she is still carrying as well as Katie's recovery. All she does is lie in her bed crying. She hasn't been to the clinic to see her patients, so they have all been going to Dr. Bernard. Everyone is really worried about her, even Katie. Katie is so happy to finally be doing better and has been driving everyone crazy asking all kinds of questions and just being excited for the holiday. She and Hope have been inseparable since they first woke up. When Katie is outside, Hope pushes her around in a little wooden one wheeled cart. When she is indoors she usually hops around on one foot and grabs on to things for balance. She has to keep her leg elevated in order to help it heal. A part of her is very worried about her mother, but she knows that there is nothing she can do for her that isn't already being done. Even Little Wolf is excited.

Matthew and Sarah made it back from Denver and they brought Sarah's brother Nathaniel and her sister Cassandra with them to celebrate the holiday. They are going to stay for the week. They are both excited because they will get to see Katie; they haven't seen her in almost a year.

Since Michaela hasn't gotten out of bed in several days, Grace, Sarah, and Dorothy have been taking care of things at the homestead. They have been cooking, cleaning and taking turns visiting Michaela.

Sully, Matthew, and Brian are in town helping the other townsfolk get ready for the celebration. Sully has got a big prize in store for Katie at the party.

Sarah's brother and sister are helping to keep an eye on the twins while they are in town getting ready for the celebration. The only ones at the homestead are Michaela, Sarah, Grace and Dorothy. They really have to try to get Michaela out of her depression.

Dorothy enters Michaela's room carrying a tray full of stuff. She sets the tray down on the table by the bed and approaches Michaela on the bed.

"Michaela? It's Dorothy. I brought you something to eat and some tea. You should try to eat something, you need to keep up your strength for your baby."

"My baby?" Michaela asks as she wipes the fresh tears from her already wet cheeks. Her eyes are bloodshot, her cheeks are red and swollen and her lips are cracked and dry.

"Yes, your baby Michaela."

Michaela turns and looks at Dorothy.

"Where is my baby Dorothy?"

"Why, it's in your belly."

"My baby is in my belly?"

"Yes, darlin', in your belly."

Michaela sits up and wipes her face and eyes with her sleeve.

"I still have a baby inside me don't I?"  
"Yes, you do. I know you miss the baby you lost but you still have a baby inside you. You can't forget it, you know?"

Michaela thinks about it for a second and then looks down at her stomach. She places her hand on the slight bump forming there. She smiles.

"My baby."

Dorothy smiles at Michaela as she leans forward and wraps her friend in a hug.

Michaela hugs her back. They just sit there hugging for a few minutes and as they pull out of the hug Dorothy asks her if she would like to eat.

"Would you like some food? Grace made it, special for you."

"What is it?"

"Why don't you try it and find out?"

Dorothy picks up the tray and sets it over Michaela's legs.

Michaela picks up her spoon and starts eating. The expression on her face says it all, she's enjoying it.

"Michaela, you keep eating and I will be right back."  
Michaela just nods as she keeps eating.

Dorothy joins Grace and Sarah downstairs. She approaches them with a smile on her face.

"Michaela is eating. She is sitting up and smiling. I think she is going to be all right."

"That's wonderful, Dorothy. What did you say to her?" Grace asks.

"I told her that her baby needed her."

"That's all it took?" Sarah asks as she approaches.

"Yes, actually I told her she needed to eat for her baby and she put two and two together."

"You know I tried everything to cheer her up, and you went up there and mentioned the baby and she came out of it. How do you do it Dorothy?"

"I don't know, Sarah. I really don't know. I'm just glad it worked and that she's going to be okay."

Grace and Sarah nod in agreement as they wrap their arms around each other in a three-way hug and smile at each other.

Meanwhile in town…

Sully is helping to put the finishing touches on stuff for the celebration. Just as he gets ready to hop on the wagon and head back towards the homestead to pick up Michaela, Grace and Dorothy, Hope and Katie approach him. Hope is pushing Katie in the cart and Katie has a huge smile on her face, enjoying herself.

"Sully, wait! Me and Katie want to come with ya!"

"Yes Papa, wait! I want to go see mama and Hope wants to see her mama, too!"

"Are you sure you two don't want to stay in town? I'm gonna be right back and I will have Katie's ma and your ma too, Hope."

"Okay, papa. Me and Hope will go wait in Aunt Grace's café then, my leg needs a rest. It's hurting a little."

"Good idea, Katie. You rest your leg up so you will feel well enough for the party."  
"Okay papa. Let's go Hope."

Sully waves at his daughter and Hope and smiles and then gets up on the wagon as he sets off for the homestead.

Hope and Katie head for Grace's Café and find a place to sit. The place is dead since it's closed due to the party later. Hope helps Katie into a chair and then runs off to get them both something to drink.

Katie just sits there enjoying the peace and quiet before the hustle and bustle begins. She just admires the beautiful trees and the mountains and the smell of the honeysuckle. It helps her to keep her mind off the pain in her leg. She loves living in Colorado Springs and she hopes they never leave.

It looks like it's going to be a wonderful 4th of July after all.

Chapter 37 coming soon…Stay tuned! There is a party and a surprise for Katie coming up and you don't want to miss it!


	38. Chapter 37

Katie decided to go lie down and take a nap since her leg was hurting her. She has no idea about the party the town is throwing for her. She is going to be so surprised and happy. The townspeople are putting the finishing touches on the party. After the party there is going to be a picnic with fireworks. It's going to be a wonderful celebration. What is even better, Michaela is going to be there to celebrate. Everyone is so happy that Michaela is feeling better since she was so depressed about losing one of her unborn babies. She has realized that she has to focus on the baby she is still carrying and her daughter. They are the two most important things right now. The baby she lost will always be in her heart. She is helping out on putting the finishing touches on the party. Katie is going to be so happy to have her mother there.

Two hours later…

Hope is the one who volunteers to wake up Katie. Katie won't suspect a thing if she thinks it's just her friend paying her a visit.

"Katie, wake up." Hope says as she lightly shakes Katie.

Katie doesn't respond.

"Katie?" Hope shakes Katie a little harder.

Katie stirs.

"Katie it's me, Hope."

Katie opens her eyes and sees her friend Hope standing there. She sits up and rubs her eyes.

"Hi, Hope. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to come and say hi and see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. I was just a little tired and my leg was hurting. I am feeling better now."

"I'm glad. Would you like to join me at my ma's café? I was going to have some lunch."

"Sure. Could you help me?"

Hope nods as she helps Katie up off the bed. Hope helps Katie walk as she puts her arm around Katie's shoulders as Katie leans on her for support. They eventually make it downstairs and outside where the little one wheeled cart is waiting for them. Katie gets in it as she and Hope head for Grace's café.

Everyone hears them coming and acts like nothing is going on. They sit there and sip their drinks and talk until Kate and Hope get to the café.

Katie notices how busy the café is since she remembers how dead is was earlier.

"There sure are a lot of people here for lunch. Are you sure there will be a place for us to sit, Hope?"

"Yes, my ma will make sure of that. "

Grace and Hope look at each other and nod, giving the signal that it's time.

Everyone gets up from the table.

"Surprise!"

Katie has look of shock and surprise on her face. Once she gains her composure she smiles and starts hugging everyone.

"So this is why everyone was acting so strangely today. Acting like nothing was going on, when you were all planning this party for me."

"Of course Katie we couldn't very well have given away the surprise." Hope replies.

Katie grins at her friend as they hug.

Sully and Michaela approach their daughter.

"Katie, your ma and I have some special gifts for you." Sully tells his daughter.

"Ma, you're here! You made it!"

"Yes, I made it sweetheart. I couldn't miss your party, could I?"

Katie shakes her head.

"No mama, it wouldn't be the same without you."

Michaela smiles at her daughter as they hug.

"Do you want the gifts that me and your ma got you?"

"Yes I do, papa."

Robert E. comes into the café carrying something behind his back.

"These are for you, Katie. Your pa made them for you. He wanted them to be just right for you."

Robert E. presents Katie with a pair of wooden crutches.

She looks at the crutches with a look of surprise.

"Do ya like 'em Kates?"

Katie looks up at her father and grins.

"Yes, pa. I love them. Thank you so much! I can't wait to try them out."

"You will get a chance to soon enough."  
"Katie, come over here. What I have for you can't be brought around where food is being served."

Sully picks up his daughter and carries her over to where Michaela is and waiting with Michaela is the most beautiful pony Katie has ever seen.

"A pony? You got me a pony?''

"Well Hope helped pick her out. She remembered how much you liked this one so we decided she would be the one you would get."

"I love her mama. Thank you so much. Thank you, Hope."

"It was the least I could do, Katie. You're my best friend. I am just so happy to see you doing better. Now we can go horseback riding together soon. "

"That would be wonderful, Hope."

Sully leans down so Katie and Hope can hug. Then he stands back up and sets Katie up on the horse. Robert E. made her a saddle of her very own. So far this has been a wonderful party and a beautiful day.

After Katie tests out the pony for a little bit, people start lining up to eat the wonderful food Grace prepared. Fried chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, stuffing, apple and cherry pie for dessert is what Grace prepared. It was all delicious and everyone ate so much, they were stuffed. Then it was finally time to go find a place to sit to watch the fireworks. Like so many years before, Horace reads the Declaration of Independence before they shoot off fireworks. The fireworks are beautiful every year. Katie is so proud to live in a country where she is happy and free.

Hope and Katie find a place to sit and Cassandra sits with them. Even though Nathaniel loves Katie to death, he doesn't want to sit with a "bunch of girls" so he decides to sit with Matthew, Sarah and the twins. Michaela and Sully sit with Brian and Maggie. Once everyone is comfortable as Horace finishes the Declaration, the men in charge of the fireworks get set up.

Hope, Katie and Cassandra are all excited. They are talking and giggling and just enjoying themselves and then suddenly they all jump as the fireworks start to go off. The fireworks last a good half hour and then it's time to start packing it up and heading home. Hope helps Katie stands up as she hands her the crutches. As Katie gets herself situated with the crutches Hope and Cassandra help pick up the blanket and fold it up. All three of them head towards where Michaela and Sully are. Michaela and Maggie are still talking up a storm and Sully and Brian are engaged in conversation.

"Mama, me, Hope and Cassandra are going to walk Hope home and then meet you back at the wagon, okay?"

Michaela stops in the middle of her conversation, only half listening to her daughter.

"All right, Katie. See you soon."

Katie, Hope and Cassandra start walking towards Hope's house. Her parents will be there later after they clean up the café and the livery for the night. Once the girls reach Hope's house, they decide to sit on the porch and talk for a bit. There is no rush.

Eventually, Sarah, Matthew, Nathaniel and the twins join Michaela and Sully. To keep the twins entertained, Brian and Nathaniel start chasing them as they just run and giggle, just having the time of their lives.

Eventually the girls finish their conversation. Katie is leg is hurting her and she is getting tired. She wants to stop by the clinic and get something for her leg. As they are stepping off the porch, Hope notices one of the steps is loose. She keeps forgetting to tell her father to fix it.

"Katie, be careful when you come down the steps. The bottom step is loose and it's getting worse. I keep meaning to tell my pa to fix it."  
"Thanks for warning me Hope." As she says this she isn't paying attention to where she is going and one of her crutches gets caught in one of the slats on the porch. She loses her balance and lands right on the bad stair. It splinters and cracks from the impact as she lands face first on the hard ground with a thud. Both Hope and Cassandra scream.

"Katie!" Hope screams.

Hope approaches her friend and looks at her as the tears flow.

"Cassie, go get Dr. Mike and Sully!"

Cassandra runs as fast as she can to where everyone is still gathered. They see Cassandra running towards them because they heard a scream and were about to go check it out. Once Cassandra reaches them, she is out of breath.

"Dr. Mike, Sully, Katie has been hurt. It's bad."

Michaela just has a look of complete shock on her face, she can't even move at first. Sully grabbing her arm and pulling her along helps to bring her back to reality. They all head towards Hope's house. Hope is still leaning over an unconscious Katie. There is a pool of blood next to Katie's head and Hope is crying hysterically.

Sully rushes over to his daughter and picks her up. He sees the cuts all over her face and the big gash on her head. It looks bad. Maggie and Sarah help Michaela get back to the clinic. She is still in a state of shock. They hope this new set of troubles won't cause Michaela to lose her other baby. They need her better so she can treat her daughter properly. Grace stayed behind to take care of her distraught daughter. She would come to the clinic later to check on Katie once she got Hope calmed down.

They finally make it back to the clinic. Sully lies Katie down on the cot. Maggie and Sarah took Michaela to the other room to splash some water on her face to calm her down and to bring her back to reality. She has an important job to do.

Sully sits with Katie as he wipes her face with a wet rag, cleaning up all the cuts on her face. Once he has done that he notices how bruised up her face is. She really took a nasty fall.

"Why Katie? Why does this keep happening to her? Is she being punished for something? Are I and Michaela being punished for something?" Sully ponders to himself.

As Sully is sitting there thinking those thoughts, Katie begins to moan and stir. Her eyes flutter open as she squints for a minute getting used to the light in the room. She looks over and sees her father.

"Papa, what's going on? What happened?"

"Katie, thank God you're awake. We were so worried about you."

"What happened?"Katie poses the question to her father again.

"You were at Hope's house after the party and you fell and hit your head."

Katie reaches up and feels the gash on her forehead and winces.

"No wonder my head hurts so much."

"Where's mama?"

"She's in the other room with Sarah and Maggie. She will be right here. She was just really upset after seeing you hurt that they took her in there to make sure she's going to be all right."

Katie nods and then looks down at her leg.

"Papa, why is there a cast on my leg? Is it from my fall earlier?"

Sully looks at his daughter disbelieving for a second.

"No, it wasn't from your fall was the last thing you remember?" Sully asks his daughter.

"I remember getting woken up in the middle of the night by Matthew, he said Sarah wasn't feeling well and for mama to come right away. Mama left with Matthew and you, me, Brian and Maggie all stayed behind. I got worried and wanted to help mama, so I went upstairs and got dressed and went out the back door. None of you knew I had left. I know I never made it to Matthew's house. I just remember walking along admiring the moon and felt this sharp pain in my leg and then after that it's all a blank."

Sully gets a huge smile on his face. Katie looks at her father confused.

"Papa, why are you grinning at me?"

"You have your memory back, Kates."

"I do? I lost my memory? When?"

"After your accident, you got a terrible infection in your leg and developed a fever. You slipped into a coma and once you woke up, you had short term amnesia. You didn't know who Maggie was or that she and Brian were engaged, you didn't know that your ma was pregnant, you didn't even recognize your own puppy, Little Wolf."

"I forgot all that? Did I remember you and mama?"

"Yes, you remembered us and Hope and of course Brian. You even remembered Matthew, and Sarah and the twins."

Katie just shakes her head.

"I can't believe that."

"You're ma is going to be so happy to know that you have your memory back."

Sully starts to get up to go check on Michaela and to bring her in to see Katie but Katie stops him.

"Papa, how did I hurt my leg?"

Sully turns around to face his daughter.

"You got it caught in a trap when you were walking to Matthew's."

"That was the sharp pain I felt in my leg?"

Sully nods.

"Yes."  
Katie lays her head back down on the pillow. Her head is throbbing so she closes her eyes. Sully takes it as his cue to go and get Michaela.

"I will be right back Katie. I'm going to get your ma."

Katie just nods as she winces in pain.

Sully looks in the next room where he assumed Michaela and the girls went. He sees Michaela sitting on a stool leaned over crying with her hands over her face. Sarah and Maggie are doing their best to comfort her. They have their hands on her back and shoulder. He can't wait to tell Michaela the good news; the tears are going to be replaced with smiles and laughter. They finally have their daughter back, for good.

Find out what happens when Sully tells Michaela the good news…stay tuned!


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Michaela was thrilled to see Katie awake and with her memory intact. Michaela tells Katie of her miscarriage of one of the twins. Katie feels bad but is glad that there is still a baby coming. Michaela made Katie rest because of the gash on her head. She wanted to make sure Katie didn't have any brain damage. She didn't want to relive what happened to Brian. Katie was fine, just had a big gash and a goose egg on her forehead. She was no worse for the wear. Now that she is better, she is going to be there for her mother. She has caused her mother enough pain with her injury and almost dying and losing her memory. All the stress from that is what caused her mother to lose one of her babies and she doesn't want to cause her mother any more stress.

She decided she was going to be a good big sister to her future brother or sister and so she thinks about names and will tell her parents when she finds one she likes. Everyone is so glad that Katie is better. It will just be a matter of time, until her leg is completely healed. From here on out, they are just looking towards the future and being a family.

A week later…

Michaela is in Dr. Bernard's office having an exam done to check on the baby. The baby is growing and strong. Michaela even has a little bump forming where the baby is growing. The baby is making itself more and more known. Michaela couldn't be happier that she and Sully are bringing another baby into the world. She is at 12 weeks now and there is a strong heartbeat, things are progressing nicely.

"Well Dr. Quinn, everything is progressing nicely. The heartbeat sounds strong and the baby is growing like it should. I am very pleased." Dr. Bernard tells Michaela as he finishes up and washes his hands.

Michaela gets up and gets dressed and gets lightheaded, so she has to sit down. Dr. Bernard notices and approaches her.

"Are you okay, Dr. Quinn?"

Michaela nods.

"Yes, I think I got up a bit too quickly."

"You need to slow down considerably from here on out, you are older and there are still risks with this pregnancy. You can still work at the clinic but you need to cut back on your hours. I want you to eat healthy and rest more."

Michaela nods.

"I understand, Dr. Bernard and I will. Now that Katie is doing better, I can concentrate on the baby."

"That is what I like to hear." Dr. Bernard says with a smile.

Michaela smiles back at the doctor as she gets up slowly and finishes getting dressed. She wants to get back to town to see off Matthew and Sarah. They are going back to Denver to take Nathaniel and Cassandra home. Nathaniel and Cassandra had a fun time spending the week with their sister and brother –in-law. They enjoyed their time with Katie and Hope. They are going to be missed.

Michaela gets there just as everyone is arriving from the homestead. They all greet each other as they head to the train platform to say their goodbyes before the train arrives. Michaela gives Nathaniel and Cassandra big hugs.

"Now remember, you two are welcome to come visit anytime and stay at the homestead. I know Katie loves having you and we enjoy your visits."

"Thanks Michaela. I appreciate that and thanks for everything." Cassandra says as she wraps Michaela in another hug.

Nathaniel being a typical boy tries to find a way to escape from the sentimental junk. He joins Matthew and Brian who are engaged in conversation.

Finally the train arrives as the luggage gets loaded on the train and they say their final goodbyes.

"See you in a few days Michaela."

"Yes, Sarah. You and Matthew be careful and make it back safe. The twins will be fine here."  
"We will. Thanks for being so nice to my brother and sister and for watching the girls. You don't know how much it means to me."

"You never have to thank me. You are family and so are your brother and sister. They are always welcome. You know how I feel about the twins, I love them."

Sarah gets tears in her eyes as she wraps her mother-in-law in a fierce hug. The trains whistle blows meaning that it's time to go. They pull apart as Sarah wipes the tears from her eyes. She joins her husband, brother and sister as they board the train. They wave as the train pulls away. Sully is holding Angela and Brian is holding Aimie as they wave goodbye. The girls aren't sad that their parents are leaving, they love spending time with their grandparents and their Aunt Katie and Uncle Brian. They know that their parents will be back soon.

A few hours later…

Michaela allowed Hope to stay the night with Katie so she would have some company on her first night back in the homestead. Michaela wanted Katie to stay at the clinic for a few days after her fall to make sure she was all right. Once she knew Katie was going to be all right, she let her come home to her own bed.

Hope and Katie got ready for bed and they spent the time talking, laughing and giggling.

"Girls, it's late. It's time to go to sleep." Sully tells the girls sternly.

"All right, papa."

Once they get quiet and settled into bed, Katie realizes she had to use the latrine. So she gets up and grabs her crutches that are next to the bed and starts to head downstairs. Before she gets to the stairs, she hears her parents talking so she decides to investigate. She gets to her parents' bedroom door and it's slightly ajar. She peeks through the opening and watches what her parents are up to.

"Sully, you want to hear the baby's heartbeat?" Michaela asks as she sits on the edge of the bed holding her stethoscope against her belly.

Sully stops what he is doing and approaches his wife.

"Yes, I would."

He sits down on the bed next to Michaela as she hands him the stethoscope as he places it in his ears.

She places it on her belly where the heartbeat is until she sees Sully react.

"I hear somethin'. It is a faint thumping noise, it's thumping really fast."

Michaela smiles.

"That's the heartbeat. Remember when you heard Katie's heartbeat for the first time?"

Sully nods and smiles as he continues to listen to his unborn child's heartbeat.

Katie watches them for a few more minutes and then begins to have a feeling come over her. It's not a good feeling. She should be happy seeing her parents bond over their unborn baby but she can't help but be a little jealous. That is what she's feeling, jealousy. Seeing her parents bond with their unborn baby causes something in Katie to snap.

"Katie Sully, you are 12 years old, why are you feeling jealous over your baby brother or sister? This is a good thing. A baby is a wonderful thing." She thinks to herself.

She goes back to watching her parents again. Sully now has his head lying on Michaela's belly as he rubs it and smiles. Michaela looks down at her husband and smiles as she caresses his head.

Katie can't watch anymore, so she hobbles back to her room and crawls back into bed. She turns her back towards Hope as the tears stream down her face. Katie just lets them fall as they soak her pillow. Hope hears Katie sobbing as she sits up and places her hand on Katie's shoulder.

"Katie, are you all right?"

Katie nods.

"Yes Hope, I'm fine. My leg is hurting a little, just go back to sleep. I will be all right."

Hope just sits there looking at Katie for a minute, confused and then she lies back down and covers up.

Finally Sully and Michaela settle down in bed lying in each other's arms. They are so happy after listening to their baby's heartbeat, nothing could bother them now. They are looking forward to their baby in a few months.

Back in Katie's room things are not as pleasant. Katie just lies there and thinks about things. She has a lot of things to think about. Things will not be as they appear on the outside. Katie will play the doting daughter and adoring big sister, but that is just what Katie wants everyone to think. She has big plans and not a lot of time. She spends most of the night lying awake and contemplating. Katie will do whatever she has to, to make sure her parents spend as much time with her as possible because when the baby gets here, she will be a distant memory.

"You may think you have won, baby brother or sister but I was here first and I intend to not let you forget it. " Katie thinks to herself as she pulls the covers up and goes to sleep.

What do you think Katie is going to do? What is going to happen? Is this the end of our sweet Katie? Stay tuned and find out!


	40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

A few days later…

Michaela has to make a trip out to the reservation to see Morningstar. She is getting closer to her due date and Michaela wants to make sure she and the baby are both doing okay. She still can't believe that Cloud Dancing is expecting a child and has found a wonderful beautiful woman with whom to share his life. She never thought he would love anyone other than Snowbird. I guess it's possible since Sully found love again with her and they had Katie and have another little one on the way. She never thought she could be as happy as she is right now. Yes, she is still saddened by the loss of one of her unborn twins, but she still has a baby coming and a bright future ahead. That is where she will keep her focus from now on. She almost lost Katie, and in the process ended up losing a child anyway. The baby she is carrying is so loved and wanted. She places a hand over the slight bump forming where her baby is growing.

"I love you, little one. I can't wait to see you and hold you in my arms." Michaela tells her unborn baby.

Michaela is brought back to reality as her husband places his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ready, Michaela?"

Michaela looks up into her husband's deep blue eyes. Those eyes still make her weak in the knees.

"Yes Sully, I'm ready. Let me let Katie know we are leaving, she is watching the twins."

Sully nods.

Michaela finds her daughter and granddaughters in the barn, helping Katie with her horse since she can only do so much, still having a broken leg and using crutches.

"Katie?"

Katie turns to the sound of her mother's voice.

"Yes mama?"

"Your father and I are heading to the reservation. I am going to check on Morningstar and the baby. Your father wanted to talk to Cloud Dancing since he hasn't seen him in a few weeks."

"May I come with you and papa? I want to see Morningstar."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sweetheart. Someone needs to watch the twins."

"We can take them with us can't we?"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not, mama? We have taken the twins with us before when we have gone there."

"I just don't think it's a good idea, Katie. Just please say here and watch your nieces. We shouldn't be gone more than a couple of hours."

"But mama…"

"Katie, since when did you think it was okay to argue with me?"

"I don't think it's okay, mama."

"Then why are you?"

"I just really want to go to the reservation with you and papa."

"I know you do, but it's just not a good idea today. You have been spending almost every waking hour with us. I think you will be all right here with the twins while we are gone. You are a big girl. Besides, Brian and Maggie will be back from their picnic soon."

Katie looks at her mother and nods, her face a mask of sadness and disappointment.

Michaela gives her daughter a peck on the cheek and gives her granddaughters big hugs.

"You mind your Aunt Katie and help her if she needs it."

"Okay, Gramma." Angela replies.

Michaela leaves the barn and joins her husband on the awaiting wagon. He helps her up onto the seat as they pull away. Katie watches them as a stray tear rolls down her cheek. She wipes the tear away as she goes back to what she is doing.

Meanwhile on the wagon…

"Oh Sully, I am so anxious to see Morningstar and to see how the baby is doing."

"I know you are. I am anxious too. I haven't seen Cloud Dancing in awhile. He has been spending a lot of time at the reservation spending time with Morningstar. He is such a doting husband."  
"Yes he is. He was such a good husband to Snowbird and now he is being a wonderful husband to Morningstar. He is going to be a wonderful father. "

"Yes he is. He is so looking forward to this baby. He misses Walks on Cloud so much."

Michaela squeezes Sully's hand.

"I know he does. I know you still think about Hanna and Abagail sometimes and that's okay."

Sully takes Michaela's hand in his.

"Yes I do and I always will but I'm with you and I love you with every fiber of my being. You, Katie and this baby are my life. That will never change."

"I love you, Sully."

Michaela leans her head against Sully's shoulder as they continue their ride to the reservation.

Meanwhile back at the homestead…

"Angela, I told you not to do that! Why don't you listen?"

"Sorry Aunt Katie." Angela says as she begins to cry.

Katie rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"Don't start crying now. Don't be a baby."

Aimie approaches her twin sister.

"Are you okay, sister?" she asks as she hugs Angela.

Katie sits down on a bale of hay and places her crutches next to her. She crosses her arms as she watches her nieces. She doesn't want to be here watching them, she wants to be with her parents at the reservation.

"Why do I always get stuck watching them? They aren't my responsibility. They are Matthew's daughters. He always leaves them with us whenever he and Sarah go out of town. Why can't he take them him when he goes somewhere?" she thinks to herself.

Katie lies back on the hay bale forgetting about her nieces as she gets lost in her own thoughts.

"I can't wait to get out of Colorado Springs. I am going to go to Boston and New York and Paris."

She read about Paris in a book and it sounds so fascinating. There are all the things to see there and the food and the language. It's sounds just magical. Maybe she can get Hope to come with her.

Suddenly her thoughts are interrupted by a shrill scream by one of the twins. Katie sits up like a shot and sees nothing but blood as Aimie is lying there motionless. Angela is next to her crying.

"Aimie, wake up! Please wake up!" she screams as she shakes her twin sister, her hands covered in blood.

Katie is so stunned, she can't move for a few minutes but it seems like an eternity. Then she gets up, forgetting about her leg as she winces in pain and falls forward. She starts crying as she crawls toward her nieces. Once she approaches them she grabs Aimie to see what happened to her as she gets covered in her blood. There is so much blood, oh the blood. In between tears Katie examines her niece and sees a big gash in her side.

"Oh Aimie, I am sorry that I let this happened to you! It's all my fault! I will never forgive myself if you die!"

"Aunt Katie, what happened to Aimie?"

Katie looks up at Angela.

"She has a huge gash on her side. Did you see what happened?"

Angela just shakes her head.

"I want you to stay here with her while I go get some things to stop the bleeding."

Angela nods her head as the tears run down her cheeks.

Katie crawls back over to the hay bale as she picks up her crutches and stands up. The tears just stream down her cheeks. She doesn't bother wiping them away. She heads towards the house so quickly that her crutches never seem to touch the ground. Once she gets in the house she finds the place where her mother keeps the towels and grabs an armful. As she is doing this she hears someone. She lays the towels down and goes to see who it is, it's Brian and Maggie back from their picnic.

Time seems to stand still as she hobbles toward her brother.

"Brian, Aimie is hurt! It's all my fault! There is so much blood! I need your help. Please help her!" Katie collapses in Brian's arms as he picks her up and takes her upstairs and lies her on her bed.

Katie opens her eyes and sees Brian looking down at her. Katie reaches up and grabs Brian's collar.

"Brian, Aimie! She's in the barn, she's hurt! Help her, she's going to die! There is so much blood…"

Those are the last words Katie mutters as it all goes black.

Chapter 40 coming soon… Is Aimie going to die? What will happen? Stay tuned and find out…


	41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Michaela and Sully are still at the reservation. Sully is catching up with Cloud Dancing as Michaela checks on Morningstar. Morningstar's English is getting better, so she can have a conversation with Michaela without any confusion. Michaela lets Morningstar listen to the baby's heartbeat. She shows her how to put it in her ears and how to place it on her stomach. Michaela helps her move it around her stomach until she hears a heartbeat. Once they get a heartbeat, Morningstar grins. She looks up at Michaela.

"My baby?"

Michaela smiles back at her.

"Yes, that's the heartbeat."

"H-h-heartbeat?" Morningstar asks questioningly.

Michaela nods and smiles.

"The baby is strong and healthy and will be here in a few weeks."

"Soon?"

Michaela nods.

"Yes, soon."

Morningstar smiles as she continues to listen to the heartbeat. Then she feels the baby kick. She grabs Michaela's hand and places it on that spot.

"Baby move."

The baby kicks Michaela's hand and she is taken aback for a minute. She smiles and gives Morningstar a hug.

Meanwhile back at the homestead…

"Maggie, I have to ride out to the reservation and get ma. Aimie is in bad shape and Katie is still unconscious. "

They were afraid to move Aimie's body just in case there were any other injuries so they cover her up with a blanket and keep pressure on the wound. Maggie is staying at the homestead to take care of Aimie and Katie when she wakes up.

"Okay, Brian. Please, be careful."

"I will. I will be back soon."

Brian mounts Taffy and rides off towards the reservation.

Maggie looks down at Aimie and brushes her hair off her forehead.

"You are going to be all right, Aimie. Brian is coming back with Grandma and she will take good care of you. I really wish Dr. Bernard were in town right now and he could treat you until Michaela gets here."

An upset and confused Angela sits next to Maggie and just looks at her twin sister lying there motionless. She has her arms wrapped around herself as the tears fall down her cheeks.

"You have to be okay, sister." Angela says to anyone listening.

Maggie wraps her free arm around Angela's shoulders.

"She will be, Angela. Why don't we say a prayer?"

Angela nods.

She and Maggie bow their heads in a prayer for Aimie.

Meanwhile back at the reservation…

Michaela, Sully and Cloud Dancing are all gathered around Morningstar when Brian pulls up on Taffy.

He doesn't see them as he dismounts.

"Ma, Sully!"

Michaela hears Brian and stops what she is doing.

"I think I hear Brian."

She gets up and calls his name.

"Brian!"

He hears her voice and turns to the sound of his name.

"Ma!"

Brian runs into his mother's arms. He may not be a little boy anymore but the comfort of his mother's arms is just what he needs right now.

Michaela hugs her son with a worried look on her face.

"What's the matter, Brian? What are you doing here?"]

"Aimie is hurt real badly, ma." Brian manages to burst out between sobs.

Michaela grabs Brian's shoulders and pulls him away from her so he will look in her eyes.

"What do you mean, Aimie is hurt?"

"I don't know what happened, ma. Maggie and me came home from our picnic and Katie was grabbing some towels from the cabinet. She fell into my arms and told me Aimie was hurt. She wasn't able to tell me much because she kept fainting."

"Oh my God, I need to get to the homestead and check on Aimie."

She runs to find Sully and leaves Brian standing there, upset.

"Sully, we have to go home, now!"

"Why, what's the matter?"

"Aimie is hurt badly and I need to go check on her!"

Sully just gives Michaela a look of shock as he nods his head and then goes to grab the wagon. Michaela grabs her medical bag and then joins Sully as they head to the homestead. Brian just stands there for a minute and then mounts Taffy and rides off. Cloud Dancing and Morningstar are lost as to what is going on. He has Morningstar go lie down in the teepee as he grabs his horse. He wants to find out what is going on and to see if he can help in any way.

Meanwhile back at the homestead…

Katie has woken up and she sits up, confused. Then she remembers what happened. She gets out of bed and grabs her crutches and heads downstairs. She has to see if Aimie is all right. If Aimie dies, it will be all her fault and she will never forgive herself.

She gets downstairs but there is nobody there, so she heads outside towards the barn. Once she gets there, she sees Maggie and Angela leaning over Aimie's motionless body. Maggie has a bloody rag covering the wound on Aimie's side.

Katie puts her hand up to her mouth and begins to sob. Maggie hears her and looks up at her.

"Katie, what are you doing out here? You need to go back inside and lie down, you are too upset."  
Katie shakes her head.

"No Maggie, I need to be with Aimie. She was my responsibility and I allowed her to get hurt. It's all my fault if she dies."

"Accidents happen, Katie. Your mother is on her way here. Brian went to go get her. She will take good care of her."

"I know, but I still blame myself. Aimie can't die. She just can't."

Before Maggie can respond they hear commotion outside. Michaela and Sully have arrived with Brian not far behind.

Sully helps Michaela off the wagon as she starts to head for the house. Brian notices.

"Ma, Aimie and Maggie are in the barn."

Michaela acknowledges her son and then heads towards the barn with her bag in hand. Once she gets there, she is in for the shock of her life. She sees her four year old granddaughter lying there with blood everywhere. She doesn't notice anything or anyone else.  
She approaches Aimie as Maggie and Angela move out of her way. Sully picks up Angela and comforts her as Brian hugs Maggie. Katie just stands there as if she doesn't exist.

Michaela examines Aimie to see how bad the injury is and she is glad to know that it is not very deep. It's just a very large gash in her abdomen. She checks Aimie's head for any head injury. There are no cuts on her head anywhere, just a goose egg from when she fell. Sully puts Angela down and picks up Aimie. He lays her in the back of the wagon as he and Michaela drive to the reservation. Michaela has Maggie sit in the back with her so she can keep an eye on Aimie. Michaela wants pressure to be kept on the wound as much as possible until she can stitch it up. Aimie has lost so much blood already. They didn't want to risk moving her or taking her in the wagon, but Michaela doesn't have the proper instruments to treat Aimie at the homestead.

Brian, Maggie and Angela watch as Sully and Michaela leave with Maggie and Aimie until they are out of sight.

Brian looks down at Angela and then picks her up.

"You look hungry and tired. How 'bout I take you inside and get you cleaned up so we can have some supper."

"I don't want any dinner, Uncle Brian. I want to go see Aimie."

"You can't see her right now. Ma is going to patch her up and then we can go see her."

"Is gramma going to fix her up real good?"

"Of course she will, now let's go in and have some supper."

As they are heading towards the house Cloud Dancing comes up.

"Ha ho."

"Cloud Dancing, what are you doing here?" Brian asks.

"I came to see what was going on."

"Aimie was hurt and ma and Sully took her to the clinic to patch her up."

"I will go there and see them, thank you Brian."

Cloud Dancing directs his horse towards the road to town and gallops off.

They all watch him until he's out of sight. Then they head back towards the house. Once inside, Little Wolf is sitting by the door whining.

"Katie, I think Little Wolf needs to go out."

Brian gets no response.

"Katie?"

He sets Angela down to go look for Katie. Little Wolf approaches Angela and puts her front paws up on her.

Angela manages a small smile through her sadness and sits down as Little Wolf climbs into her lap and licks her face. Angela begins to laugh. Animals always have a way to make you smile even when you feel your worst.

Brian continues to look for Katie. He looks all over the house but she is nowhere to be found.

"Angela, let's go take Little Wolf outside and look for Aunt Katie okay?"

Angela nods as she stands up. Brian grabs Little Wolf as they head outside. Brian sets Little Wolf down once they get outside and she immediately runs to her favorite spot to relieve herself. He grabs Angela's hand as they go look for Katie.

"Katie? Where are you?" he yells as he and Angela continue to look for Katie.

Suddenly Brian hears sobbing. He follows the sound and he sees Katie sitting on the stump that Sully uses to chop wood behind the barn.

"Katie?"

Katie looks up at her big brother, her face wet with tears.

"Why are you sitting back here, Katie? We are going to have some supper until ma gets home and lets us know how Aimie is."

"I don't want any supper Brian. I'm not hungry. I just want Aimie to be okay. I just want things back to the way they were. If I wouldn't have been so selfish, Aimie wouldn't be hurt and mama wouldn't hate me."

Brian approaches Katie, still holding on to Angela's hand.

"Why do you think ma hates you? She doesn't hate you."

"She left me in charge, Brian and I messed up. I can never do anything right. I go out in the middle of the night and almost get myself killed and then I'm left in charge of my nieces and one of them ends up getting hurt."

"Katie, accidents happen. Remember when I told you about me falling out of the tree when I was little?"

Katie nods as she wipes fresh tears from her cheeks.

"Ma blamed Sully and then everyone blamed everyone else. It really was nobody's fault. Sully told me not to jump, but I didn't listen and I almost lost my life and lost my sight temporarily. It was just an accident and I learned my lesson."

"I certainly haven't learned my lesson. I keep making the same mistakes over and over again."

Brian lets go of Katie's hand and sits down next to her on the stump. He puts his arm around her.

"Katie, I love you. Ma loves you, pa loves you. Aimie and Angela love you. Look at your wolf over there."

Brian points as Angela goes chasing after her.

Katie looks at where Brian is pointing.

"She loves you. She depends on you for everything. She is happy and healthy."  
"What are you getting at?"

"I'm just saying that it doesn't matter if you make mistakes Katie. Everyone does and everyone still loves you. You are good person with a good heart and you are a great little sister."  
"Really?"

Brian squeezes Katie against him.

"Yes, the best and you are going to be a great big sister."

"I will be won't I?" Katie replies as she wipes the tears away.

Brian smiles and gives his little sister a big hug.

"Let's go have some supper so we can keep up our energy for when we get the good news about Aimie."

Katie nods as they both stand up. They round up Angela and Little Wolf and go inside to have some supper.

Chapter 41 coming soon…we find out about Aimie's condition…will it be good news or bad news? Stay tuned and find out!


End file.
